Liana Kuchiki
by Jiyle
Summary: Who would have thought that the wanderings of a mad scientist would change the course of the war, alter the identities of two worlds, and most importantly, the fate of the young Girl-Who-Lived? fem!Harry COMPLETE
1. And So it Begins

I do not own anything

Okay, I know I should probably be working on Shinigami at Hogwarts by now, and that this is the second (technically third if you count the one I deleted) Bleach/HP x-over I've done, but I had a severe case of writers' block so I started working on another crossover (yes, there's another one and no, you can't see it yet). Then when I got writers' block on _that_ and I still had no idea what to do with my Shinigami at Hogwarts thing, this started plaguing my mind (that was about a month ago. It's probably the fastest story I've ever finished. Probably the longest too).

So, in the Bleach world, this is set years after the Winter War. I'm not quite sure how many years. It has some references to Shinigami at Hogwarts, but not too many.

In the Wizarding world, this is summer before fifth year, but before the dementors' attack.

Without further adieu, I give you my newest fic, Liana Kuchiki.

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><p>"Ah… Kuchiki-taicho," Kurotsutchi drawled. "So you managed to navigate your way into my squad."<p>

The Kuchiki lord's eyes narrowed. "What did you call me here for, Kurotsutchi-taicho?"

"I was looking over the reiatsu signatures in the magical worlds, specifically their young _heroine_," he snickered, "and I found the most _curious_ thing about her." His laughter became louder, as if he was relishing in knowledge that no one else had.

"And why would I need to know of this?" he asked, thoroughly annoyed with the other man. "As you know, I haven't had anything to do with the British Wizarding World since Yoruichi graduated from that school."

"Because, Kuchiki-taicho," he sneered happily. "According to the readings, Liana Potter has the combined reiatsu of you and your late wife!"

"What?" he asked sharply. The only way two signatures could be combined would be if the two in question had had a child, and he had no children!

The clown's grin didn't sooth his nerves. "After some research, I discovered that only days before her death, your wife was told that she was pregnant. I believe, fearing your family's reaction, she fled to the World of the Living and gave her child to one of her distant relatives, Potter Lily, who couldn't have children of her own. Of course, I don't know, nor care, whether Kuchiki Hisana is still alive."

The other captain didn't notice the last part, too absorbed in the sudden whirlwind of his thoughts. She had been pregnant? He had a fourteen-year-old daughter? A daughter who was being trained in magic? The infant who had defeated Riddle was his child?

His mind turned to the rest of his family as a migraine formed, pulsing painfully at his skull. The Council of Elders would be furious at the discovery of an heir of mixed blood, and would demand her connection to the Kuchiki Clan be nullified before anyone could find out about it. However, despite never knowing the girl, his loyalty to his family would never allow him to do such a thing.

On the other hand, his sister would probably be happy she had a niece, and his grandfather would be privately thrilled at the news of a great-granddaughter, but would otherwise be neutral – neither helping his grandson nor hurting him. And then there was the girl herself. He knew for a fact she lived with Potter Lily's muggle sister and brother-in-law, who were less than pleased with her magical abilities. He didn't want to think of the likelihood of his child being abused, despite the fact he had just been told of her. Long lost or not, she was still a Kuchiki – she was still his daughter.

His attention was refocused on reality when one of Kurotsutchi's many contraptions screeched before quieting, belatedly realizing just how long he had been contemplating this new information. He nodded curtly. "Thank you for the information… Kurotsutchi-taicho," he said stiffly. Unable to bring himself to speak beyond that, he whirled around and left the blinking room.

Outside he found a familiar purple haired menace leaning against the wall, watching with a strange glint in her eye as she spoke quietly. "So, you finally know, huh?"

His eyes narrowed at the statement and implications, ration and self control askew in light of the news. "Are you claiming you knew of this, Shihoin Yoruichi?"

She smirked the shine in her golden orbs disappearing as she pushed herself off the wall. "Kisuke figured it out just after Ichigo-kun lost his powers. Don't worry, no one else knows. Come on, everything's been set up."

"What do you mean?" he asked suspiciously.

She sighed exasperatedly as she took in his distrustful expression and the hint of confusion in his stance. "You're not just going to leave her to the mercy of the Dursleys, are you? It's already a couple of weeks into summer; she could be seriously injured by now! Now _come on__! _I've been waiting to take her out of that place forever!"

"… Very well." The captains of the Gotei 13 had been given reports of the young witch's home situation when she had first been placed there, and his recollections of them were not very pleasing. Yoruichi grinned before pulling him towards the Shihoin's senkaimon, telling him that it had already been given the coordinates to Little Whinging.

~oOo~

When the two nobles appeared on Privet Drive, they were both in gigais and dressed in semi-formal clothing that were appropriate for humans in this day and age. Yoruichi paid no attention to her new navy dress and matching purse as she quickly strode over to Number Four. "I doubt you're going to like what you see in there. Just be quiet and try not to blow something up… Actually, just be yourself." She grinned at him before turning to knock on the door.

A fat boy with piggy blue eyes opened the door, his face and fingers sticky with chocolate. He had apparently been interrupted in the middle of his television program as the distorted sounds of the device floated through the hall.

"Yeah?" he grunted, a bit disgruntled at having to get the door when he had previously been occupied.

If Shunshin Yoruichi felt any revulsion at his appearance and lack of decorum (Byakuya certainly did), she didn't show it – simply smiling brilliantly and adjusting her purse. "Hello, young man, are Vernon and Petunia Dursley here? There's something we," she gestured to herself and the black haired man watching from behind her, "need to speak to them about."

His face screwed up into a disgusting grimace before he hollered, "MUM! DAD! There's people here to see you!"

A couple who strongly resembled a walrus and starved horse entered the hallway as Byakuya stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

"Yes? How can we help you?" Petunia asked simperingly.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley. We're here to retrieve Liana Potter. Is she home?" Yoruichi asked, if only for the sake of posturing.

"We-we don't know anyone by the name of Potter," her husband blustered.

"Oh, but sir, you are Vernon and Petunia Dursley, aren't you? I have papers here that specifically state Liana Lily Potter is in your custody… do you hear moaning?" Her cat-like ears twitched as she looked upstairs, a curious expression that her companion _knew_ was fake donning her features.

"Oh… that must be the dog… it came from my sister, Marge, you know," Mr. Dursley said tightly, face turning puce despite his smiling. He inwardly scowled, cursing, and made a mental note to thrash that she-freak to death later.

"Well, in any case, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, perhaps you could give us a tour of your lovely home? I've heard some rumors that some of your furnishings are only dreamed of in such an already well-off neighborhood!" She flattered them shamelessly. "I'm afraid my own house is rather dull – I really am horrible at picking out furniture, so I just leave it plain. Perhaps if I saw _your_ exquisite taste, I would be able to decide something for myself."

"Of course," Petunia said in what she must've thought was a sweet manner, "Right this way, Ms…?"

"Shihoin. Don't worry if you can't pronounce it. Most people here can't. Byakuya?"

He glanced at her. "I believe I shall stay downstairs, Yoruichi." He could sense a frightening amount of reiatsu coming from a cupboard, of all things. "Please do not wait for me, Mr. Dursley. I shall find my own way around."

The large man grunted before lumbering back into the living room, followed closely by his pig of a son.

He waited until the Dursley matriarch was upstairs before cautiously opening the door. The overwhelming stench of dry blood and human waste slammed into him, and he took a moment to compose himself before tentatively tugging at the string attached to the naked bulb.

Inside, he saw an old mat made for an infant's changing table, so worn it was nothing more than a board made of fabric. Dry blood covered both it and the floor, though there wasn't very much floor in the first place. He felt his reiatsu flare as he saw 'LIANA'S ROOM' scrawled in a childish hand on the opposite wall, written with a bright green crayon.

Just as he saw this, he heard his companion scream, something he had never heard before due to her training as Onmitsukido. _"__BYAKUYA!__"_ she shrieked as her reiatsu fell in such a way that it was clear she was horrified.

He was quickly on his feet and rushing up the stairs – damn gigai! – and approached where she was staring into a room, wide-eyed with her hands clapped over her mouth. Petunia was hovering around her, any number of excuses falling from her lips. She had caught up in a fight against the neighborhood boys. She had fallen fall a tree. Temporarily disregarding the situation, he resisted the urge to sneer at her. How desperate was this woman?

He looked into the room and felt his heart stop.

Lying on the sorry excuse for a bed was a young girl, possibly only thirteen-years-old. Midnight hair was thrown haphazardly over her face, dulled and matted with dried blood as she took long, shuddering breaths that sounded vaguely reminiscent of an old man wheezing on his death bed. Dried puddles of reddish-brown stained unhealthily pale skin as a pain filled moan escaped her lips. Byakuya felt the horror and fury mount in his chest as he stared at the girl that was supposedly his flesh and blood, dying before his eyes at the hands of her so-called relatives.

Yoruichi pushed Petunia away from the door and gently dropped to her side, her maternal instincts making a rare occurrence. "Keep her back, Byakuya," she said sharply. "We can't have her calling for her whale of a husband."

The nobleman quickly bound her with Rikujokoro and silenced her by casting Horin on her mouth, unsure of what to do in such an environment other than rush the injured to the nearest medical facility.

"Hold on, sweet child," the purple haired woman whispered, waving a wand over her injuries and doing whatever she could to stabilize her. "I'm here to help you, sweet girl. I'm a witch. Try to hold on, little one, try to hold on. Don't give up, lovely child, please don't give up!"

Byakuya shot the blond woman a fierce glare before walking inside, glancing at the window as a letter zoomed in.

"'Dear Miss Potter," he read aloud, "We have received intelligence that you performed healing charms at thirty-two minutes past three this afternoon in a Muggle-inhabited area in front of a Muggle.

The severity of this breach of the Decree for the Reasonable of Underage Sorcery has been resulted in your expulsion from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ministry representatives will be calling at your place of residence shortly to destroy your wand.

As you have already received an official warning for a previous offense under section 13 of the International Confederation of the Wizards' Statute of Secrecy, we regret to inform you that your presence is required at a disciplinary hearing at the Ministry of Magic at 9 A.M. on August 12th.

Hoping you are well,  
>Yours sincerely,<br>Mafalda Hopkirk

IMPROPER USE OF MAGIC OFFICE

_Ministry of Magic'"_

Yoruichi snorted as the girl in front of her finally stabilized, falling into an artificial sleep. She picked up a quill and parchment.

_'__Dear Madam Hopkirk,_

_Please excuse Miss Liana Potter's recent underage magic. A companion and I have visited her in her home of Number Four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. She seemed in desperate need of healing so I used my wand to heal her._

_Please have a good day,  
>Lady Yoruichi – Head of the Great Noble House of Shihoin'<em>

She handed the short letter to the snowy owl after picking the lock on its cage. "Take this to the Improper Use of Magic Office, please." She smiled slightly at the bird's wariness and glances at her mistress. "Don't worry, we'll make sure Liana is fine."

The bird chirped in relief at the two who wanted to help her mistress before taking the letter and swooping out of the window. The black haired man cautiously picked up the injured girl, careful not to jar her wounds.

"The Kuchiki English Residence isn't very far from here," he said, resisting the urge to marvel at the girl in his arms. There would be plenty of time for that later.

Yoruichi nodded. "Apparate, if we're going long distance it'll be fast than shunpo." Because of their slow aging and lack of hobbies besides studying, noble children often had nothing to do in their free time other than to learn the tricks of the living world, and it was no different for the two of them.

He waited as she weaved her wand in intricate patterns to disable the wards before disapparating.

"Hopefully it isn't Mad-Eye on guard duty," she muttered as she turned on the spot.


	2. Enter, Sirius!

I do not own anything

So I decided that I would update every six days for the first few chapters, to try to get readers who can only get on fanfiction on certain days of the week. After that, I'm planning on updating only on Saturdays (and special holidays).

Also, thank you very much to those who faved/alerted this! It's already my #1 alerted story! You guys are the best!

Enjoy!

**EDITED: JUNE 10, 2012**

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><p>She was in bliss. There was nothing there to bother her, save for the merciful black nothingness of unconsciousness. She wanted to stay forever, but she knew she couldn't. After all, how could she leave Ron and Hermione like this? This was the thought that drove her back into awareness. The first thing she noticed was that she wasn't in her miserable room on Privet Drive anymore. Instead, she was in a queen size four-poster bed in a tastefully decorated room of white, beige, and light shades of red.<p>

"Ah, so you're awake," a voice said form the doorway. She looked up to see a dark skinned woman with long purple hair and golden, cat-like eyes. She was wearing a dark red dress covered with blue summer robes, obviously a witch.

"Who?" she croaked, throat burning. The Dursleys hadn't given her any water in two days and she wasn't sure if she could say much of anything before having to hack her way out of a coughing fit.

"I am Yoruichi Shihoin. Byakuya'll be here soon. Here, water." As if reading her mind, the strange woman handed her a glass of the life saving liquid.

Forgoing the favorite saying of her most recent would-be Defense professor, she gratefully gulped it down, not bothering to check whether it was actually water. "Where am I?" she asked once she felt she would be able to speak probably.

"Hold on, I need to call Byakuya." The purple haired woman winked at her before taking a deep breath and shouting, "BYAKUYA! GET IN HERE! SHE'S AWAKE!"

A few seconds later, an irate man entered the room. He was tall and pale, though a healthy shade rather than the sickly white Liana was sporting at the moment. He had long, black hair that fell gracefully down to his shoulder blades, with three individual locks held in his eyes by triangular whitish-teal ornaments. His slate gray eyes and a pointed jaw and strong, while not broad, shoulders gave him a rather serious appearance. He was wearing deep blue trousers and shirt with dark gray robes. A wizard. "You don't need to shout, Yoruichi. I was only across the hall."

A mischievous smile flitted across the woman's face. "That's why I did it."

"What's going on?" she asked. As grateful as she was for the two for getting her away from the Dursleys, she was pretty sure this was kidnapping, and didn't like the possibilities of why. With the recent resurrection of Voldemort (not that the Ministry would acknowledge it, mind you), she had a very good reason to be wary of any strangers, especially strangers that kidnapped her to a new place.

The strange woman smiled at her. "I knew Lily and James when we were in school together. Also, I had no reason to keep waiting to take you from that place?"

"You knew my parents?" The teen became infinitely more interested at that. Even after four years, she still liked to hear things about them – something other than 'You look just like your mother with your father's hair' or something of the sort.

"I know your father, but I never knew your mother," she replied, a mysterious smile playing at her lips.

Liana's brow furrowed in confusion. "But you just said you knew them. Both of them."

"Lily and James were never your real parents," she explained. "Lily and Petunia are your… er… second cousins thrice removed. Your birth mother was in a similar situation as Lily – a commoner the aristocratic viewed as filth, but married the lord of a high standing house. Your father only just learned that he had a child to begin with."

"Who's my father?" she asked faintly, still trying to process this new information.

She gestured to the young man standing beside her, saying in a fake-posh voice, "May I present Lord Byakuya Kuchiki, the 28th head of the Noble Kuchiki Family."

"But… how?" she stammered. At first glance, she didn't look anything like this man! "I-I don't mean to be rude, but everyone always told me that I looked like my mu-Lily, with Da-James' hair."

There was a hint of amusement in his eyes as he spoke to her for the first time that day, his deep, rich voice foreign but soothing to her ears. "The genetics merged my and my wife's appearances, somehow resulting in you looking like Lily Potter. Your eyes must have come from your mother's family – Hisana always said her family was known to have stunning eyes."

"That was her name, then? Hisana?" she asked.

"Yeah, and they were right when they said you have your father's hair. Hisana and her sister have the same hair, and a little girl who likes to visit them always calls her sister 'Onion-head'." Yoruichi chuckled.

"I have an aunt too?" Hopefully she wouldn't be as bad as Marge or Petunia.

"Yes. She is a few years older than you, but I'm afraid she is too busy with work and school to visit." Her newly found father frowned as he took in how pale her face was. Even if he and his wife had always been on the lighter side of the color spectrum, she was too pale for his liking. "But that's enough. You should rest for now."

"Alright, but… um… what should I call you?" she asked shyly.

He paused before speaking with the slightest hesitation, "Father will suffice."

Liana felt her eyes droop as she snuggled back into bed. "Yes, sir. Goodnight… Father."

~oOo~

Meanwhile, Number 12 Grimmauld Place was in chaos. Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody had reported in a few hours ago, roaring that Liana had been abducted. His descriptions of one of the kidnappers as well as the letter to Madam Hopkirk (supposedly signed by said kidnapper) had confirmed the identity of one of the culprits, making Sirius and Remus frantic.

_"She was tall, I guess," Mad-Eye grunted. "Skinny, lithe, too. She had purple hair – There! That's the color, Tonks! – and gold eyes that look like the damn kneazle. She was wearing a dark blue dress and shoes and had a white bag."_

_Sirius paled, gripping the table so hard his knuckles turned white. "Do you know her name, Mad-Eye?" he asked tightly. That description sounded a bit too familiar. He felt Moony's hand tighten on his shoulder. The werewolf was obviously tense as well._

_"I intercepted a letter she sent," he said, reciting from memory, "'Dear Madam Hopkirk, Please excuse Miss Liana Potter's recent underage magic. A companion and I have visited her in her home of Number Four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. She seemed to be in desperate need of healing so I used my wand to heal her. Please have a good day, Lady Yoruichi – Head of the Great House of Shihoin'."_

_Silence permeated the air as those seated close to them inched away from the two Marauders, the tension seeming to roll off their bodies in waves._

_it seemed to be centuries before Remus finally spoke, breathing, "… Yoruichi Shihoin…"_

"Do you know her or something?" Ron asked, recalling the previous conversation.

Sirius smiled grimly. "The hell I know her. She stuck to the Marauders like glue until our fifth year. A friend of hers came for a visit and it all went downhill from there."

"Can't you use a tracking charm?" Hermione asked desperately of the aurors in the room, ignoring the wizards' conversation. "Or a potion?"

"That depends," Mad-Eye grunted, eyeing the three of them. "Do any of you have anything of hers?"

Hermione rushed upstairs before coming down with a worn pair of trainers. "She told me to get these to a muggle thrift shop, but I forgot to ask my mum and dad," she said breathlessly, a light pink dusting her cheeks from the sudden sprint

Kingsley gave a slow, deliberate nod. "I'll get Severus on the potion," he said in his low, brass voice before disappearing from the room.

It wasn't until past dinner when Snape finished and dropped the shoes in, watching it change from a murky brown to a clear emerald before pouring it over a piece of parchment. The potion ran down the parchment, forming an amazingly detailed drawing of Liana and writing the words 'Kuchiki English Residence' overhead in elegant script.

The potions master's eyes widened. That wasn't a name he had expected, though it made sense considering they were friends… or at least acquaintances. "Of course that abominable feline would be with him," he muttered, sweeping out of the room to find his employer and the founder of the Order of the Phoenix.

Deciding who would go to retrieve Liana was a lengthy, loud, and somewhat painful process. After an hour of loud arguing, in which Mrs. Black was set off three times, it was decided that Dumbledore, Mad-eye, Sirius, Remus, Ron, and Hermione would go by floo to the normally uninhabited manor.

~oOo~

Yoruichi and Liana had, with their combined efforts, managed to convince Byakuya to allow Liana to spend the evening in the main sitting room, in spite of her injuries. She was currently telling her stories about Byakuya, Lily, and James when they had been younger and relatively carefree. Despite not being a member by blood, Liana had been named the sole heiress to the Potters, a testament to how much James and Lily grew to love her as an infant. She thought it was only right to tell her about the last Lord and Lady.

She was in the middle of a story in their second year when James had first realized he might like Lily when the flames leaped into the air and turned a brilliant emerald green.

"What in the world?" she muttered, rising to her feet and drawing her wand. "Who on Earth would floo here?"

Two men that were familiar to both girls stumbled out of the hearth, much to one's ecstasy and the other's anger.

"You!" A curse was at the tip of her tongue as she trained her wand on them. Golden eyes narrowed as she snarled at the two men. "What are you doing here?"

The flames jumped again, this time spitting out a redheaded boy and a bushy haired girl.

"Ron! Hermione!" Liana called happily. She would've ran to them, but she wasn't yet allowed to get up.

"Liana! Bloody hell, Sirius, why does she look like she's about to kill you?"

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" The majority of the room jumped, but Yoruichi quickly cast a stunner at him. "Now _that's_ the kind of reflexes I'd like to see in my Aurors!"

"Indeed, Alastor," the old man he had accompanied said cheerfully.

"You, too?" the only of-age witch in the room snarled. She stood protectively over Liana, tension in every muscle as she hissed much like the feline she was. "I swear to Merlin, if you take another bloody step towards her and I'll curse off your family jewels."

"What is going on in here?" The group turned as one to see the newcomer as he frowned. "I should have known. The second I leave you alone, you call for a party, Yoruichi."

"Oh, yes," she said sarcastically, venom dripping off of every word. "I decided that I should introduce Liana to those I hate most in the world. I was just about to call Aizen, too. We were going to have a bloody tea party!"

"Please refrain from using such language in my home," he said, indifferent to her aggravation.

"Prude," she muttered, glaring daggers at the wizards.

"Will someone explain to me why you guys seem to hate each other?" Liana asked loudly.

"As soon as _she_ tells me why she kidnapped my goddaughter," Sirius demanded.

"I took her from an _abusive household_ so she could be with her _real father_," she said, a sneer worthy of Snape stretching across her face. "It's more than _you've_ ever done for her, Black."

"'Real father'? James is dead!" he exclaimed as Remus winced. He didn't like being reminded of that fact.

"I am afraid that James Potter was only related to her through his marriage with Lily Evans," Byakuya cut in. "Be quiet, Yoruichi. Surely your parents taught you to control yourself better than that?"

She scowled at him before sitting down and folding her hands neatly across her lap. All expression was wiped off of her face as she stared unblinkingly at the wall opposite her. If he wasn't going to let her rage at the intruders, what choice did she have but to be the lady she was?

"What d'ya mean?" Ron asked. "He's her dad. How can he not be related to her?"

He frowned at the boy's rudeness but responded anyway. "The Potters were unable to have any children of her own. My late wife feared for her unborn child and gave her to them several years ago, perhaps as a means of safety. I only recently discovered this a few days ago."

"So why does she hate Sirius and vice-versa?" Hermione asked. "I mean, sure he escaped from Azkaban and whatnot, but he can testify under Veritaserum and-"

"I am fully aware of that," he interrupted. "But I only know the beginning of the reason for their dislike, and I do not have the right to tell such a tale."

Hermione glanced at the witch in question, trying to find and explanation for the hostility. The woman currently had her hands folded in her lap and was staring coolly at Sirius and Dumbledore. She wasn't about to say a thing.

"Um… can Ron and Hermione stay over? Hermione can help me and Ron with our homework," Liana said, trying to change to subject to escape the tension.

Her father caught her intentions, however crude, and gladly played along. "Ron and me," he corrected, "and very well, so long as their parents approve. The rest of you may stay as well. Perhaps we can arrange Liana's place of residence over some tea, so long as she is able to get to sleep tonight."

Yoruichi stood up. "In that case, I will take my leave now," she said stiffly. "Excuse me, Lord Kuchiki."

The younger noble raised an eyebrow. "Are you certain you wish to leave now, Lady Shihoin? And such a hasty exit as well."

"You may not remember what happened all those years ago, Lord Kuchiki, but I do," she said tersely. Gone was the woman with whom Liana had happily conversed with all afternoon. In her place was a noblewoman who wanted nothing more than to get away. "I am not about to be in the same room as the man who threw me into a war I had no involvement in. Nor am I going to stay with the fool who insulted my kohai because he nearly got killed!"

"That was twenty years ago. If your suicide attempt hadn't convinced him to grow up, surely the war or Azkaban would have?" he said before adding, "And in any case, it seems more appropriate that your 'kohai' be offended, rather than you. And I assure you, he is not."

Her eyes flashed dangerously, but she relented, turning to the door. "I will stay for now, Lord Kuchiki, but I have a letter to write – you do wish to gain custody of your daughter, don't you? And I suppose the press will need to know as well, before they come up with insane theories of their own." She continued in Chinese, so as to have some sort of privacy, "(While his influence has been muted, he still has some. I'll make sure to get all of this official before the old goat can sabotage it. It'll be best if you tell the reporters that you she is lying when she speaks about Riddle's return, and that she will be punished for it. Whatever you _really_ do is up to you.)"

"Very well. Perhaps you could contact Rukia and Grandfather as well? I'm sure they would like to know of Liana."

"Of course, Lord Kuchiki." She then left the room in a flurry of red.

Byakuya spent the rest of the evening arguing with Dumbledore, Sirius, and Remus, fighting a battle of words to be able to keep his daughter with him and using every bit of diplomacy he had learned from both his grandfather and experience to keep things from coming to a head. Liana, Ron, and Hermione seemed content to just catch up on what they had been doing over the summer, although there was a bit of a scene when Liana realized they had been staying together the entire time and hadn't bothered to tell her.

It wasn't until after midnight he was able to track down his female counterpart, standing on the balcony attached to her bedroom.

"You seemed oddly hostile earlier, Yoruichi. While your hatred for the Headmaster surely remains as strong as ever, I was under the impression you had forgiven your former friends," he commented, approaching where she was watching the night sky.

He would spend the rest of the night trying to discern her response. "The seeds of doubt must be planted early if they are ever to bloom."

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><p>Hope you guys liked it. Also, I'd like to ask if anyone out there is interested in being my beta. I suck when dealing with punctuation marks and I'm a bit shaky on what I should do at the end (I've already typed it, but I'm not sure if I should keep it).<p>

Hope to see you Thursday!


	3. Malfoy Mayhem

I do not own anything

I am so, so, so, so sorry for not updating! I know I was supposed to a week ago but I forgot and didn't remember until Saturday. Then I really wanted to stick to my schedule so I waited until today.

Please forgive me!

**EDITED: June 22, 2012 and July 17, 2012**

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><p>It was only the morning the day after the Order of the Phoenix' botched rescue mission, and, after several failed attempts, the Golden Trio had managed to find their way to the dining room where the oldest two occupants of the (overly large, in their opinion,) manor. Ron had just started shoveling food into his mouth when a tawny brown owl flew into the room, dropping a rolled up newspaper into Hermione's lap before snatching a piece of bacon.<p>

"Oh my, they have it all done already!" Hermione exclaimed as she opened the paper.

'_**THE GIRL-WHO-LIED'S NEW FAMILY  
><strong>__By Clytemnestra Vance_

_Late last evening, the Department of Child Welfare at the Ministry of Magic received a letter from pureblood Japanese witch, Yoruichi Shihoin. In the letter she requested that the magical guardianship and custody of Liana Potter to be moved from Albus Dumbledore and Vernon and Petunia Dursley, her muggle relatives, to another Japanese pureblood, Byakuya Kuchiki. When listing her reasons why she asked for this change, she wrote, "__…__ one of my closest friends as well as his ___protégé__ _have discovered that Liana Potter is actually the daughter of Lord Kuchiki and his late wife, Hisana. I have sufficient evidence that this is indeed true, including the Evans family tree, Lord and Lady Kuchiki's wedding certificate, and the notes and references my friend used in confirming this. I believe that, in fear of the family's reaction that she, a peasant girl who was married into the family [possibly only out of pity], was pregnant with their lord's child, Hisana gave Liana to her second cousin-thrice removed, Lily Potter, as James Potter was, sadly, infertile. Blood is one of the things that the Wizarding World values most; why keep a child from her blood father?"_

_True, blood relations are always important to respectable wizards and witches, and the Kuchikis are very respectable indeed. Lady Shihoin writes, "The Kuchikis have hundreds if not thousands of properties and businesses all over the world, magic and muggle alike. It is likely, especially in Japan, they will own any store you can see, or at least have a share in it. Their family manor is easily miles from edge to edge, and I doubt that Lord Kuchiki will have any trouble providing his daughter with necessities."_

_Also, a very shocking revelation has come forth on her childhood. "When we visited her former residence, there was no sign of Liana ever even being in the house or knowing its residents. I followed Mrs. Dursley upstairs while Lord Kuchiki stayed in the downstairs hallway. The door to the smallest bedroom had a multitude of locks – ten, if I remember correctly – with a catflap – the purpose of I do not wish to think of – and it was only after much convincing that Mrs. Dursley opened it for me. Inside was cheap, broken furniture with broken toys made for young boys scattered everywhere, obviously once belonging to Liana's cousin, Dudley. Liana was on the bed, unconscious, with only rags and what may have been a blanket – though one wouldn't be able to tell with all the patches that were sown on. She was bleeding heavily and barely breathing. Her owl was padlocked into its cage, and the smell of waste nearly made me go mad. Mrs. Dursley obviously knew about her state, and was trying to lie to me about how she got that way. "She had a bad run in with the neighborhood gang", "She fell out of a tree this morning", "One of the teens ran her over with his motorcycle (a machine muggles use to get around)". Lord Kuchiki told me that he looked in the boot cupboard under the stairs while I was up there. He said there was a worn mattress made for a changing table, with "Liana's room" written on the back wall. He didn't think there would be enough room for a broom to lay on the floor, and that everything was stained with dry blood."_

_Of course, the Department of Child Welfare arranged the custody immediately, as Lady Shihoin had provided memories, and Liana Potter is now legally the ward of Lord Byakuya Kuchiki._

_But onto the You-Know-Who business. Lord Kuchiki wrote us early this morning, clearly stating, "My daughter had no right to throw the Wizarding World into such a panic when she claimed He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was back. On behalf of both her and the Kuchiki Family, I apologize for her irresponsible actions and ask forgiveness. I assure you she shall be dealt with for speaking such lies."_

_I believe Lord Kuchiki will make a wonderful guardian to Miss Potter, based from his letter and comments from Lady Shihoin's former classmates._

"_He seemed to be a properly brought up boy," says Lucius Malfoy from his Whiltshire Manor, "when he visited Hogwarts in my seventh year. Very polite and knowledgeable. Lady Shihoin was a bit_…_ different, but Professor Snape tells me she matured quite a bit in her last two years at Hogwarts, so I may very well be wrong."_

"_He was a good kid," says Sturgis Podmore in Diagon Alley. "He didn't seem to like Yoruichi much, but was at least civil to the rest of us. Pretty smart, too. Yoruichi said he killed time by debating with seventh year Ravenclaws or some of the professors. Apparently he could last for hours on any kind of topic, and then he was about thirteen or something."_

_I ask of you, the wizards and witches of the Wizarding World, to support Lord Kuchiki, who is no doubt cherished by his home people for his skills and intellect, in his undoubtedly harsh quest in reigning in his rebellious daughter.'_

By the time Hermione had finished reading it, she and her two friends were gaping at the paper. A series of hysterical giggles gave away Yoruichi's new position on the floor while Byakuya simply continued eating his breakfast, ignoring the paper completely.

"Bloody hell," Ron mumbled.

The Kuchiki lord glanced up to where he was seated, about halfway on the other side of the table. "I would thank you for not using such crude language in my manor, Mr. Weasley. Unless the circumstances absolutely demands for it, you will find I am rather intolerable of profanity."

"Er… sorry," he muttered awkwardly, the tips of his ears turning red as he stared at his plate.

"Is… it true?" Liana asked hesitantly.

Her father's gaze shifted to her as Yoruichi managed to pull herself together and climbed back into her chair, still exploding into giggles and collapsing helplessly onto the table every few seconds. "Is what true?"

"Everything!" she exclaimed, hurriedly continuing at her father's raised eyebrow, "The stuff about you and my mother's marriage and… and Voldemort."

He frowned. "The stupidity of that woman must surpass that of an earthworm to assume I married Hisana out of pity," he said in a disdainful tone. "Originally my grandfather had arranged for me to wed a spoiled woman named Kasumi Shimizu. Before that could happen, I met Hisana and fell in love with her, and I fought with Grandfather until he allowed me to marry her."

Yoruichi snorted as she finally managed to regain full control of herself. "I'll say. Ukitake said the two of you were yelling at each other at all hours of the night! It makes me wonder if you ever slept."

He skillfully ignored her. "As far as Riddle goes ("You know about that?"), our homeland has sufficient proof that he is alive, in some sense of the word. What I wrote in that letter was only to sooth the public and make it easier to make connections with the other families."

"Connections?" Hermione asked. "Like alliances between houses? Surely you're not going to stay here for that long, are you? What do you need them for?" While she loved Liana like a sister, she couldn't deny the obvious fact that her newly-found father was a foreigner, and likely needed to return to his home quickly in order to work.

"There is a war coming," he stated, leaving his decision to stay in the British Isles unsaid but understood by the muggleborn witch. "I'm sure the three of you know that. It is very hard for one to get through hard times like the one approaching us without having connections with high standing members of society. Unfortunately, the Kuchiki Family does not have enough influence to get along by itself here. If Liana is to stay here long enough to finish her education, they will be necessary."

He set his silverware onto the now empty plate and stood up, almost soundlessly save the chair scraping against the floor. "Also, the Malfoys will be arriving at three o'clock this afternoon. I expect for you to be wearing something more proper for guests to see, Liana. Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger may join if they wish."

"The Malfoys? What for? They're Death Eaters!" She exclaimed.

"Not everything is as it seems. Considering their family history, it is much more likely they are simply trying to ensure their survival, rather than supporting Riddle's insane actions," he responded.

Yoruichi frowned. "While I admit they may not be Dark, why did you have to invite that blond git? I'm still trying to get over the fact he managed to score a girl and spawn!"

"You of all people should understand, Yoruichi, considering how many unfavorable people you've aligned yourself with in the past," he said dryly.

She scowled. "It's no fair to use my actions against me! I _had_ to do that stuff!"

He, once again, ignored her. "In any case, I have work to be doing. Heaven knows what Renji is doing."

~oOo~

Three o'clock came much too quickly for Liana's liking. She had been hoping it would be one of those days when time seemed to drag by. Unfortunately, she soon found herself back in the sitting room, dressed in an emerald green dress that complimented her eyes with her hair half-pulled back. Ron and Hermione had opted to go outside instead, not wanting to come across the Malfoy scion, and Yoruichi had offered to walk with them.

Soon enough, the floo in the next room flared as three people stepped into the manor, and from there were brought into the sitting room by young maid who had arrived earlier that day (her father didn't particularly like the house elves' wrinkled and scrawny appearances, much to Hermione's aggravation).

Silently sighing, she stood up and folded her hands together, combining what little she knew of pureblood etiquette and what Aunt Petunia had taught her for when the Dursleys had no choice but allow her to be seen by whatever guests they had that night. She held her facial expression in a demure, slightly aloof look as they came in, forcing herself not to glare at the youngest of the blonds. Her father seemed to approve of this, or was at least indifferent, as he made no comment.

"Good afternoon, Lord Malfoy," Her father said, stepping closer to greet him. "Thank you for accepting my invitation, and welcome to the Kuchiki's English Residence."

"Good afternoon to you as well, and it was our pleasure, Lord Kuchiki," went the familiar drawl of a Malfoy.

"Yes, it is an honor to be here," said a woman. Presumably Narcissa, his wife.

"Thank you. I believe both of our families would be able to benefit greatly if we were more well acquainted with one another." Liana struggled to keep in her disbelief. Benefit? From knowing the _Malfoys_?

"Hello… Lord and Lady Malfoy," she reluctantly said, doing her best not to grind out the words.

"Hello, Miss Potter," Lucius said stiffly. Narcissa chanced a slight smile as she greeted her.

Finally, the two teens turned to each other, etiquette forcing them to acknowledge the other.

"Liana," the blond said blandly, inclining his head slightly.

"Draco," she said back, doing the same.

"Please excuse our son, Lord Kuchiki," Narcissa said apologetically, shooting him a look. "I'm afraid he has never gotten along with your daughter, though I'm certain that will change in the near future. I apologize in advance for anything he does that might offend you or your daughter."

"As do I. Liana, why don't you show Master Malfoy the rest of the manor. Perhaps the two of you will come across something of interest," he said dismissively.

"Yes, Father," she muttered.

"Also, _do _try to behave." The last thing he wanted was for her to be stupid enough to get into a duel in the middle of the corridor, especially when she was still recovering from the more severe injuries.

She bit her lip and nodded before turning on her heel and hurrying out of the room, too quickly to even give her skirts a chance to stop swirling around her ankles and leaving the youngest of the three blonds to rush after her.

After a few moments of walking in awkward silence, the Slytherin finally spoke. "So is it true?" he asked, uncharacteristically hesitant. "What they said in the paper… about the abuse?"

"Oh, no, Malfoy. The Dursleys just thought it would be fun to make it look like they had a mistreated house elf who went by the same name as their niece," she snapped sarcastically, feeling her temper rising in her irritation at his presence. "Why are you so interested in my bloody childhood?"

"We could have helped, you know, if you'd just said something," he continued, as though she hadn't spoken. "Mother and Father despise child abuse… we donate to a lot of wizarding orphanages and the Department of Child Welfare… if you had just told someone…"

"I don't know about you, but I didn't want the entire Wizarding World to know about my home life," she retorted. "Besides, why would I have ever gone to _you_ for help? 'Oh, look! It's the precious Girl-Who-Lived and Gryffindor's Golden Girl'," she said mockingly. "'Run away! Slytherin's heir is coming this way!' 'Poor little Potter can't go to Hogsmeade because a mass murderer is out to get her' 'She's a Triwizard Champion? Hope you die, Potter!'"

He looked down uncomfortably. "I suppose I was a bit sore that you didn't take my hand on the train…"

"Did I have any reason to?" she questioned. "You had just insulted the very first friend I ever had… well, if you don't count that cobra from when I was ten."

"Look," he said, grabbing her shoulders and swinging her around to face him, "I'm sorry. It's just… my father told me to try and make friends with you, but you rejected me so badly, and Crabbe and Goyle were there. It would've looked stupid if I tried again, and it would've looked odd if I didn't do anything. Hating you was the only thing I _could_ do – the Malfoys would've looked bad if I didn't."

She snorted. "So you're telling me that the only reason we've been at each others' necks for the past four years is because you were trying to save face?"

Draco gave an odd smile. "Image is _everything _in the uppter social circles. That's why my family pretends to believe in pureblood-supremacy – if we didn't, we would've been social outcasts and the laughingstock of the pureblood community."

"'Pretends'?" she asked dubiously. "Since when did you pretend? Your dad and your aunt are death eaters!" That much, she was certain of. After all, Sirius had written her about Bellatrix and her… well, insanity.

"Malfoys have always done whatever they can to make sure they survive," he explained. "I don't know about Aunt Bella, but the rest of us are just copying what the others do. The families with the most influence are The Noble and Most Ancient Houses, which are old pureblood families that believe in blood supremacy. If you want to survive in the upper social circles, there are certain things you _have_ to do."

"Sounds like some sort of twisted combo between Monkey See, Monkey Do, Follow the Leader, and Simon Says," she said dryly, not really caring whether or not the pureblood understood what she meant. "I guess… maybe we can just start over?" she said carefully.

"That would be nice." The blond gave her a tentative smile – not a smirk like she'd been seeing on him for the entirety of their Hogwarts careers.

Liana smiled and held our her hand. "Hi. I'm Liana Potter and I'm a fifth year Gryffindor at Hogwarts. My favorite class is Defense Against the Dark Arts, and I like to play Seeker for my house team."

Draco blinked but played along, taking the hand. "My name is Draco Malfoy and I am a fifth year Slytherin. I enjoy Potions and Ancient Runes, and Professor Snape is my godfather."

"He is?" she blinked. "I guess that explains why he tends to favor you most out of all the Slytherins…"

"Uncle Sev does what he has to in order to protect us from the rest of the school," he shrugged. "So what's your excuse? He seems to like you more than the other Gryffindors."

"Oh… I guess it's because I look like Mu- like Lily," she hastily corrected. "They grew up together or something."

"Huh."

"So… what about the people at school?" She said after yet another awkward silence. "I'm pretty sure there's a bet going around about when we're going to kill each other off. What're we gonna tell them when they notice us being nice to each other?"

"We could always tell them our fathers are forcing us to associate with each other. Some of them might not understand it, but most of the purebloods should." He gave a wry smile. "It's hard to associate with someone you don't get on with. Normally it's best to just find some common ground first."

"Well, we've found ours," she gave him a slight smile. Technically, she had just met him, after all.

"Indeed."

Over the next hour, Liana found out quite a bit about Draco, his family, the other Slytherins, pureblood culture, etc. In turn, the young Malfoy learned of her, the Dursleys, some of the Gryffindors, things muggles did, and a few of the insane adventures she had been on over the years.

Ron and Hermione were very, very worried when the two of them went outside, actually being friendly with one another. However, once it was explained, Hermione took it well enough, and the two girls managed to convince Ron to give the other teen a chance.

Now she was writing in a journal she had gotten from Professor Snape for Christmas in her first year. The day had been very eventful and she had a lot to write about.

She had just dotted the last period when she heard the door open.

"Hey," Yoruichi said, closing the door behind her. "How are you settling in?"

"The house elves have settled in for me," she said wryly. "I'm just busy trying to get used to all of this. Are there going to be more people here tomorrow?"

The older witch shrugged. "Your father wouldn't bother telling me things like that… We need to talk."

"Huh?" She looked up. Was something going on?

"Don't think this is about the Birds and the Bees or something," she smirked. "I'll leave that honor to Byakuya. It's about something else."

"Sure." She sat down on the bed, already dressed in the soft pajamas she had found in the wardrobe. "What is it?"

"There are hard times coming," she said seriously. "Everyone with two brain cells to rub together knows that. When I was younger, I was close friends with Byakuya's father – your paternal grandfather. What I'm going to tell you, I need you to swear on your magic to keep a secret."

"I swear on my magic to never reveal what you're about to tell me." During the summer after her third year, Liana had gotten bored and rode the bus to Diagon Alley, spending most of her time reading in a secluded part of Flourish and Blotts. She knew very, very much about the Wizarding World now.

"Sojun, your grandfather, spent a lot of time trying to ensure my survival. My home life wasn't the best," she smiled sadly. "It wasn't my parents – they adored me – it was my half-brother. Sojun was the only one who knew about it, and that was just through a slip of the tongue. I owe him a debt to protect his lineage to the best of my ability. That's why I never left your father alone until I was forced to."

"Stalker, much?" she asked jokingly. Her efforts were rewarded by a chuckle as Yoruichi squeezed her shoulder.

"Things happen, Liana. In the upcoming war, something might happen that makes it so I can't help you anymore. If that happens, I need you to promise me that you'll follow your heart."

"Follow my heart?"

"Your heart, your instincts… the deepest, most passionate feelings that come from the very center of your being," she clarified. "That's the simplest way I can put it. I have been raised a certain way, Liana. There are some things that must be done to win a war. Most people don't have the guts or intelligence to do them; that is why it's fallen onto my family. There are going to be things I have to do that you probably won't like or understand. When the time comes, I won't be the same person I am now. To put it bluntly, I will be a psychotic, sadistic murderer. I want you to remember the witch you see now and to swear to always follow your heart, even if it goes against everything in you. I need you to swear that you'll do this, or I won't be able to do my part. I won't be able to help the war effort the way that so few people can. There will be more deaths, more kidnappings… I can't stress enough how important this is."

"I swear on my life that I will always follow my heart," she incited before saying, "And I promise I'll always remember you the way you are now."

"Thank you. You have no idea what that means to me." She hugged the girl before reaching into her robe. "I have something for you. Think of it as a gift."

She pulled out a golden locket. Liana gasped as she looked at it. It was heart shaped with an emerald the same shade as her eyes and what looked like tiny scratch marks on it. Inside, there were two pictures. One of Lily and James Potter, the other of Byakuya Kuchiki and who she assumed was his wife, her mother.

"This serves for two purposes," Yoruichi said as she fastened it around her neck. "One is so that you will never forget who you are and who you are meant to be. The other is to protect you."

"Protect me?" she asked, still staring at the photos as the two couples smiled at her and each other (a considerable feat as she had yet to see her father smiling… or without those hair accessories).

"This locket was goblin made. It has the standard charms built it – unbreakable and uncurseable – as well as Occlumency shields: walls that shield the mind from external invasion. If you tap your wand against it and say a name, that person won't be able to penetrate the wearer's mind. If you want to remove the names, just do the same thing. Only the person who blocked against that person in the first place will be able to remove the name." She didn't mention Severus Snape and Albus Dumbledore were already in the locket's 'database'. "It has another charm on it. See here? The clasp has melded into the rest of the locket and the only way it will ever be taken off is if you take it off yourself, which you can only do in dire circumstances, or if someone cuts your head off." She let the girl admire it before continuing, "Also, it gives you the same reaction to the Killing Curse as your father."

"What do you mean?" reaction to the Killing Curse?

"Let's just say... it won't be the Killing Curse with you anymore," she smiled oddly, a faraway look in here eye.

"Thank you! I love it." Liana beamed and threw her arms around the older woman's neck, the ecstasy engulfing her mind and dulling her usual reservations about physical touch.

Yoruichi smiled. "Now then, Byakuya would kill me if I kept you up any longer. I'll see you in the morning." She tousled her hair and headed for the door, casting one last glance behind. "Goodnight, Liana. May the Reioh smile upon you."

* * *

><p>I'm still looking for a beta, please spread the word and anyone interested please contact me!<p> 


	4. Birthday Celebrations

I do not own anything

Here's the next chapter! Thank you guys for your support!

****EDITED: DECEMBER 23, 2012-March 14, 2013****

You can't say that you haven't woken up like this…****  
><strong>**

* * *

><p><em>Noblesse oblige - noun. The moral obligation of those of high birth, powerful social position, etc., to act with honor, kindliness, generosity, etc. <em>

~oOo~

Liana moaned as she rolled onto her stomach, burying her head under a pillow and pulling up the sheets to block out the sunlight that was suddenly streaming into the room, someone having drawn the curtains to let it in. She sighed contently and snuggled deeper into the bed, blessed darkness drawing her back into sleep. She gave no indication of noticing when part of the mattress sank, giving way to new weight.

She ignored the shifting weight as the intruder-of-dreams started tugging the sheets back down, grumbling in dazed disgruntlement when of the light managed to penetrate her eyelids, leaving her to stare at a significantly lighter hue of red.

"Wake up, child. It's nearly time for breakfast." Her father's increasingly familiar voice cut through her dreams, leaving her mind confused as to whether to ignore it or scramble to understand the meaning of his words. She registered a sleepy panic when cool air brushed against her face, leaving her no defense against the torturous light.

She heard a light chuckle as she flung out her arms, searching blindly for the soft mass of cotton, eventually giving up and curling into the foetal position.

"Really, Liana." She rolled away from the hand that had been lightly shaking her, relying on her thick hair to retain the cool darkness. "Wake up."

"Nnrrrgh."

A moment later, the shaking continued, much to her disgruntlement. She let out a whine as it became slightly more forceful.

"Liana." His tone had gotten sterner, much like Professor Snape's did when he caught his Slytherins misbehaving (rare it may be). _"Wake up."_

Deciding that there was no way for her to continue sleeping, she rolled onto her back, yawning and blinking blearily as colors and lines shifted into focus. "Watimizzit?" she mumbled, half-open eyes rolling lazily to where her father sat on the edge of her bed.

"Ten minutes until breakfast, and far too late for you to be sleeping," he said dryly. "Why were you up so late last night?"

"Yoruichi wanted to talk about stuff," she said, holding back another yawn. She reached for the new locket that had somehow slipped under her pajamas. Upon locating it, she pulled it out, dangling it in the air by its thin gold chain. "She also gave me this."

"A pendant?" He leaned forward to inspect it more closely, palming the heart-shaped gold and turning it over in his hand. "A locket. May I?"

She nodded, watching as he gently snapped it open and peered inside. He inhaled sharply when he saw the two pictures inside, reminding him of the happy days when his wife had still been with him.

"She said it was so I wouldn't forget who I am," Liana said softly, watching as the stern expression that her father had had since her arrival melted away. "I'm happy I have pictures of you all that I can carry with me."

"Yes." He lifted his gaze to meet his daughter's. "Having a reminder of those you love can strengthen your spirit, even in your darkest hour."

"I know." Her mind went back to the summer after her first year. Locked in her room with only her owl for company and barely enough food and water to survive, she had despaired when no letters arrived from her friends, and had spent many hours pouring over the photo album that Hagrid had given her the previous Christmas. "Father?"

"What is it, child?"

"When is this picture from?"

His expression further softened and he spoke in a quiet tone. "This was taken on our wedding day."

"She's beautiful." She looked longingly at her mother's smiling face, watching as her father's miniature said something to her, making her laugh as they looked at each other in utter love and devotion.

"And you are just as beautiful as your mother." Liana smiled shyly at the compliment, quickly averting her eyes down and playing with her sheets.

"Master Kuchiki!" The squeaky cry of a house elf drew her attention to where a female elf was standing off to the side of the bed, twisting her ears anxiously as she hopped from foot to foot. "It is almost times for youse breakfast, Master and Young Miss! Miss's Wheezy and Grangy is be worrying about Young Miss and wondering if's they comes to check, and Madam Kitty is beings grouchy and saying that if Master not be's returning to the dining room, she wills eat all the food without Master or Miss!"

"Thank you, Mitzi," the frantic elf's master smoothly said as he got off the bed and onto his feet. "We will be down momentarily."

With another twisted jerk of the ear, Mitzi the house elf disappeared.

"We have a house elf?" Liana said with slight worry. If Hermione were to find out, she would be going on about the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare – or S.P.E.W., as they called it, all over again. Liana had been forced into being its secretary the year before, despite her lack of faith in the group's goals.

"We have a few house elves at all of our magical properties, and human servants at all of them, magical or otherwise," he acknowledged as she climbed out of the bed and put on her slippers. "The house elves work mostly in the kitchen and laundry room, or at night, and the maids and butler are the ones visible seen working around the manor. Of course, we also have a gardener, a cook – who is in charge of the house elves in the kitchen – and other miscellaneous workers."

"That many people just for one house?" she asked dubiously. At the Dursleys', she had been cook, housekeeper, gardener, handyman, maid, and punching bag. She didn't see why so many people were needed to keep a single home running.

"Caring for a large manor house requires the work of many people," he replied. She couldn't help but be aware of his hand on her shoulder, gently guiding her through the winding halls towards the dining room. Warmth bloomed in her chest and she unconsciously leaned into the touch, enjoying the unfamiliar sensation and craving more of it.

If Byakuya noticed her reaction to his gesture, he didn't mention it, instead continuing with the impromptu lesson in how the household ran. "It also requires timing, as I'm sure you know. Meals must be made at the proper times, the grounds must be tended to regularly, clothes must be laid out every morning, and baths must be drawn every night. There is a schedule that must be followed by everyone in the house, lest it falls into disarray."

"Like clockwork," she said, looking at the gleaming floor and sparkling windows with a new appreciation.

"Yes. However, the most important thing is for a sense of loyalty and devotion to exist between master and servant," he said seriously. "Servants who work for the Kuchiki Clan show a deep loyalty to our family. There are records of servants giving their lives to protect our members, and they truly do everything that they can for our family. In return, we give them food, shelter, and the ability to support themselves and their own families. A good leader will always look out for the welfare of those dependent on him and will do what he can to inspire loyalty among them."

"How?" She looked at him curiously. While he had been kind to her, her father didn't seem like the kind of person who would openly go out of his way to make friends.

"All servants – human and house elf alike – are trained to notice details. Small acts of kindness often go a long way to encourage dedication and a higher quality of work. For example, most people do not thank their house elves the way I did Mitzi," he replied. "Some people go out of their way to make sure their help are happy and healthy, and work personally with them if they are not. Small tokens are also given on birthdays and regional holidays. The Kuchiki servants are given practical items that wear well, and the elves receive new uniforms."

"Oh." Mitzi had been wearing a tiny version of a maid's uniform, if she remembered correctly. She hoped that Hermione would be appeased (if only slightly) by the better treatment of these house elves in comparison to Dobby and Winky. Her father fell silent as they approached the large, beautifully engraved mahogany doors that led to the dining room.

"Well it's about time!" Yoruichi complained loudly as they walked in. "I'm starving!" Ron nodded in agreement.

"Perhaps if you hadn't kept Liana up last night, we would have been down earlier," he said without missing a beat, neatly ignoring her indignant huff as he strolled regally to his seat. Liana shared a glance with Hermione and rolled her eyes as she sat down.

The purple haired woman quickly forgot about her faked annoyance as their breakfast appeared on the table, immediately loading up her plate sky high with eggs and bacon and beginning her new mission to eat it all as quickly as possible.  
>Hermione sighed as Ron mirrored her actions. "Two of a kind, aren't they?"<p>

"What I wonder is: where does it all go?" The girls giggled at their conversation before serving themselves, though Hermione did notice that Liana only ate some porridge and a few pieces of toast. Unlike the others, a line of potion vials were standing proudly next to her plate, each a different color and vastly different from the one standing next to it.

"What are those potions?" the muggleborn asked curiously.

Yoruichi glanced up from her veritable mountain of food. "They're supposed to help her back to health. They give her extra nourishment that she should have had all these years, help with her appetite, boost her immune system, and help heal what injuries she still has."

"I suggest that you take those now, Liana," the only male adult in the room said. "There is no point in increasing your appetite when there is no food to sate it, and the others should be taken as quickly as possible."

The raven haired girl sighed, staring at the potions in disgust. Sullenly, she reached for the first one and forced it down, grimacing at the taste, and repeated the process with the remaining three. A dreadful face twisted her features as she set down the last vial. Her task done, she reached for her pumpkin juice to wash down the taste.

Yoruichi chuckled. "Better get used to it. You're going to be taking those for about another month or so." Ignoring her look of despair, she refocused on her steadily disappearing breakfast.

The odd assortment of wizards and witches continued to eat in relative silence, the sound of silverware clinking and loud munching the only audible things in the room.

"I would like for the three of you to study this morning," Byakuya said partway through the meal, making Ron freeze with his fork halfway to his mouth.

"What?" he yelped. "But this is summer! We still have a _month_ until school starts again!"

"That may be, Mr. Weasley; however, the time will pass more quickly than you would like to believe. It would be best for you to do it _now_ before you are overwhelmed the week before September." He paused. "Also, I have asked for a copy of your marks, Liana."

Her eyes widened. Since first year, she had only been concerned with passing, doing the bare minimum to move up into the next year. Somehow, she didn't think that her father would be pleased with an onslaught of A's with a few P's thrown in at random. "According to your teachers' comments, you could do far better than you are now. It would be beneficial for you to learn as much as you can about magic, especially with Riddle loose."

She deflated, resigned to her fate. "Yes, Father."

Hermione beamed at someone finally getting her two friends to take their studies seriously. _Finally_, after four years of pushing them to work!

Yoruichi paused and looked up from her food. "Why do I feel like that's not the only reason you're doing this?" she asked rhetorically.

He gave her a cool glance. "You sound as if you don't remember the amount of paperwork that comes with being a Clan head. Never mind a member of the Gotei 13."

She chuckled. "And you haven't been doing much of it lately. I think we're gonna need a bulldozer to rid of it."

Ron flinched at the amount of work described, even if he didn't understand the muggle reference.

"I'll get my notes after breakfast," Hermione said eagerly. "We could do it outside or in one of the sitting rooms."

"Miss Granger," Byakuya said calmly, "as much as I appreciate your enthusiasm to help my daughter and Mr. Weasley improve their grades, I would like for the three of you to revise in our library rather than the sitting room." Her eyes lit up at the thought of such a conglomerate of books. "I'm sure that there is more than enough material in there for you to do your assignments."

Yoruichi snorted. "Of course there's more than enough! You Kuchikis literally buy every book that's ever published and archive it before the rest of the world even know it exists."

"I am sure that the Shihoins do the same thing with weaponry, Yoruichi." He spared her a small look, a hint of challenge mixed with the ever-present disdain, lightening the gray orbs to a slightly brighter shade.

"I've been in your library. You have everything from _Winnie the Pooh_ to the secrets of the Aztec Civilization in there!" she exclaimed.

Byakuya ignored the gaping maws of the two muggle-raised teenagers. "Within every book, there is history. The Kuchiki Clan is charged with recording history. It is possible that the future members of my family will one day need the information provided, no matter how trivial or bizarre it seems. Quite frankly, the possession of tomes long thought destroyed is a good investment, in my eyes."

Hermione's expression was one of awe and eager anticipation. Liana and Ron shared twin looks of dread and misery.

When they had all finished with their breakfasts, the black haired man led them to another another set of large, ornately decorated doors. A strange energy seemed to be emanating from within, a quiet buzzing that told of power and knowledge that had been collected and hidden from the rest of the world since the dawn of time. Hermione looked to have fallen in love at first sight with the room. Ron seemed ill as he looked around the library, about the size of the Quidditch Pitch and several times higher. There were several levels and sets of stairs and ladders, each full to the brim with shelves upon shelves of books. Each bookshelf was neatly labeled, all of them organized by subject and relative difficulty and as precise as the wards at Gringotts Bank.

The library was varnished in dark woods that were well sanded and polished, soft cushions of muted colors making the enormous room much cozier than the sheer size would suggest. A few meters in front of the entrance was a marble altar with a thick, heavy tome sitting on top. Liana learned that it was an archive of all of the books and records in the library, and that all one would need to do to find a book was to clearly state what kind of information they were looking for before a list of books on the topic provided would appear on one of the blank pages in the front.

"This library is actually only a portion of the Kuchiki Family Archives," her father said after instructing them on how to find the books they needed. "We are no longer in Britain. That door is a portal that leads to the section of our archives that is devoted to European magicks. This room is one of many in a large complex of buildings that the Kuchiki family uses to keep the majority of its records, far from civilization."

"This is _wonderful_!" Hermione breathed, staring in wonder and excitement at the large assortment of knowledge to be plundered.

"Yeah," Ron grunted. "Great."

His moodiness was ignored as a servant came in, carrying several books, each about the size of a textbook. At the Kuchiki lord's gesture, the stack was placed on one of the tables further into the room.

"Those are books on the proper grammar and pronunciation of the Japanese language, as well as a guide on the simplest of its writing systems – hiragana and furigana – for those more familiar with the English language." He opened one of them and showed them a chart of curved characters. "As your heritage is of Japanese blood, Liana, you will be expected to understand the culture and language, both written and spoken. It is best that your education in those subjects begin immediately."

"Lovely," she said weakly. "More homework."

"Such is the life of the privileged," he said dryly. "I expect you to have memorized at least one set of characters – and their respective pronunciations – by dinner."

"What!" she yelped. "But that's too little time! Even Hermione can't remember an entire alphabet in a day!" And, indeed, even the muggleborn was staring in disbelief.

Her protests were met with a blank stare. "It is entirely possible if you put your mind to it. It is certainly less than what my grandfather had me do when I was your age," he stated.

"Don't you think that's a little unfair?" The three teens jumped, whirling around to stare at Yoruichi. They glanced at each other. When had she gotten there?

The amber eyed woman was smirking lazily at her counterpart. "After all, you were used to it. Not to mention whatever crazy bonuses being a _Kuchiki_ gives you…"

"At such an age, hard work should not require getting used to," he said flatly. "In any case, Liana is of Kuchiki blood as well. She should be able to access our family's gifts if she puts in the effort." The emerald eyed girl resisted the urge to collapse to her knees as he pulled yet another book out of his robes. "And for that, meditation is required."

She snorted, putting a comforting hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "Don't you think you're pushing things a little too quickly? You just sprang it on them this morning."

"No."

"Slave-driver," she accused. He simply raised an eyebrow at her. She huffed. "Fine. But I'm staying in here to help them. You were just going to lock yourself up in your office, weren't you?"

"You know very well that I have far too much work to do," he retorted. "And it isn't as though you have _helped_ with any of it, Yoruichi. If anything, you've made even more for me to do."

"Pfft."

He sighed and turned back to his daughter. "Do not let her entice you into doing something foolish."

"Um… yes, Father." She watched with no small amount of bemusement as he left the room, leaving them in an awkward silence. The doors shut behind him as Yoruichi turned to the stack of books.

"Do you wanna help me burn them?"

~oOo~

It took a while to convince the noblewoman to not fry the books and a bit longer for them to finish the portion of their homework that Hermione had put aside for the day and the language assignments that Liana's father had left for them (which Hermione had taken advantage of, and even convinced Ron into joining). The muggleborn had wandered off to explore the rest of the library while Ron was searching for a copy of _Quidditch Through the Ages_. Yoruichi was instructing Liana in the one task that she could approve of: meditation.

While Liana had shared her enthusiasm at the beginning, she was quickly becoming frustrated with the exercises.

"Why do I have to do this?" she asked when she failed for the umpteenth time. She stared at the book mutinously, as if it was at fault for her inability to learn the techniques.

Yoruichi chuckled at her impatience and ruffled her hair. "So you can do _this_ someday," she said. Liana's eyes widened as a wind picked up in the still room, brushing her hair towards her face as it suddenly became harder to breathe. The wind circled, fixated on the couch where Yoruichi was sitting. It became faster, and the air compressed into a mini-cyclone as dust and air moved so quickly she could only see white blurs. Then, all of a sudden, the wind dispersed, leaving behind a sleek, dark figure. The shape stretched, purring, and Liana realized that it was a cat, but much different from Mrs. Norris or the house cats that Mrs. Figg kept. Its fur was smooth, and seemed as dark as midnight, as if it was made from shadows. Yoruichi petted its head, and the feline purred again before turning to the young witch. She jumped when it blinked, revealing solid crimson that seemed to glow, contrasting greatly with the ebony coat.

"I want you to meet a friend of mine, Neko-chan," Yoruichi said to the cat. "This is Liana. She's Byakuya-bo's daughter." The cat stared at her and stilled before mewing and nudging her hand.

"She wants you to pet her." Liana startled before slowly reaching up. The fur was soft, and very silky. The fine hairs were light and moved easily at her touch. The feline purred loudly as she scratched it gently, rubbing its head against her hand.

She watched as it turned and laid down on the couch cushion, having become bored with the petting. It looked at Yoruichi pointedly. The purple haired woman smiled in amusement as the cat disintegrated, becoming specks of bright light that swirled in the air before rushing into her.

She smirked at Liana's gobsmacked expression. "You'll be able to do that one day, y'know," she said in a matter-of-fact tone. "But the first step is meditation."

She nodded eagerly and turned back to the book with a fervor. She vaguely noticed her teacher's chuckles as she focused on taking in the words on the page.

Byakuya came in a few hours later. He was met with the sight of his daughter in a deep trance while Yoruichi was engrossed in _The Art of War_.

"I see that things are going well." He glanced at the three piles of rolled up parchment. Picking up one of them, he found the information to be well-researched and presented, but noted the handwriting with disapproval. "Her penmanship will need to improve. Perhaps tomorrow…"

"You'll have to wake her up first," Yoruichi commented, having removed herself from the classic tome. "I think the only way we'd be able to get her back is by feeding her a Restorative Draught."

He glanced at her and nodded. "I shall warn her to not reveal the things she learns tonight."

Yoruichi hummed. "I'm going to go make sure Hermione hasn't made herself a fortress."

The captain allowed himself a small smile once his childhood annoyance was out of eyesight. He brushed a strand of hair behind his daughter's ear as he quietly straightened up her work area. Despite popular belief, he was a very passionate man, and would do whatever he had to in order to ensure his daughter had a happy and fulfilling life.

But no matter the circumstances, he had planning to do. There were only a few days left, after all.

_"Today is the 24th of July… No, we don't have very much time at all."_

~oOo~

Yoruichi sighed as she leaned against the balcony. Byakuya had business away from the manor that night (though whether it was for official or personal reasons, she had no idea), leaving her to watch over the three young Gryffindors and finalize her own plans.

"I wonder if Byakuya would be mad if I went hunting…"

~oOo~

In the next week, the household fell into a comfortable pattern. Liana, Ron, and Hermione would spend the mornings studying in the library, or in Liana's case, struggling to improve her handwriting. After lunch, Liana would meditate until three o'clock while Ron and Hermione wandered about the manor and spent time doing whatever came to mind. At three, the Malfoys would sometimes show up, and they would keep company with them. Apparently, the Malfoy family held enough sway over the rest of pureblood society for Liana's father to feel comfortable with not having any others over.

_"Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?"_ she mused as she put on an embroidered forest green robe over an emerald blouse and a swishy floor-length black skirt. They were going to Diagon Alley that day, and that apparently warranted her needing to wear nicer clothing than she normally did. Her eyes widened when they swept past her calender. _"It's my birthday!"_

The realization lightened her heart, and she had an extra bounce in her step as she headed down to the sitting room where they had all agreed to meet to floo to the magical shopping center.

"Good morning, Liana," her father nodded, as he usually did in the mornings. He was in a simple but high-quality black robe. Underneath was a white dress shirt and black slacks, and he proved to be very adept at combining both muggle and magical fashions in a classy way.

"Good morning!" she chirped. Her friends grinned at her, but didn't show any indication of remembering the date. Instead, they were content to hunch over the year's book list and squabble over it in hushed voices. Yoruichi gave her a lazy wave as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, seeming to be trying to enjoy the last few minutes of privacy she had before jumping into her Lady Shihoin persona.

"Do you remember what today is?" Liana asked as her father disappeared in the floo. Her friends looked at her, and then to each other.

"Um… Monday?" Ron guessed.

"Well, yeah, but that's not what I meant." Yoruichi left in a wave of emerald.

"Sorry, Liana, but we don't know what you're talking about," Hermione said apologetically.

"Oh, it's alright. It's no big deal." She smiled at them, forcing the hurt down and letting the subject drop. She sighed as she grabbed a handle of the ashy green powder from an antique vase. "Diagon Alley!"

Luckily for her, the Kuchiki lord had been ready to catch her from the other side of the floo, and managed to prevent her from going arse over teakettle in front of the entire Leaky Cauldron. Ron and Hermione swirled in as the black haired man muttered something about working on balance before handing her a bag of galleons that had been magically expanded and charmed to be featherlight.

"Yoruichi and I will buy what you need," he said in way of explanation. "The three of you may do as you wish. This should cover the expenses for anything you may want."

Ron gaped at the bag and the ridiculous amount of wealth that it held. Liana, who had never been given any pocket money to spend as she please in her life (not even from herself), took the bag reverently, as if it was the most precious thing in the world.

_"But,"_ Yoruichi piped, "first you three need new robes."

"As well as wands and holsters," the nobleman said.

"But we already have robes and wands," Liana said in confusion. "And why holsters?"

"Your school robes are _way_ too small," Yoruichi frowned. "And I'm willing to bet Ron and Hermione's are too. With all those potions, you've hit a growth spurt, Liana."

"It is best to have something to fall back on, in case the tool you are using is damaged or otherwise incapable of use."

Ron shrugged. "Good enough for me. Remember second year?"

Liana and Hermione shared a glance before nodding.

"Is it possible to get holsters with designs?"

~oOo~

"Are you sure it's okay for you to be paying for all of our things?" Hermione asked as she stared into a mirror and at the embroidered robes that she was wearing. She bit her lip as she fingered the well-stitched seam.

Yoruichi waved her hand negligently as she inspected a pair of cuff links. "The Kuchiki and Shihoin families are both very well off. I don't think either Byakuya or I would notice if a few thousand galleons spontaneously went missing. Besides, you two are friends. We want to do nice things for our friends."

"I suppose…"

"Liana, you might want to hurry up," she called. "Byakuya wants to meet you at Gringotts soon."

The emerald eyed girl hopped off of the stool and handed the robes to the proprietress with a smile and thanks. She made to grab her purchases near the door, but Yoruichi snatched them away before shooing her off. Walking quickly, she twisted through the busy street, dozens of families crowded in for pre-Hogwarts shopping. Her father stood relatively still, just in front of the steps of Gringotts.

"We must check on the state of your Potter inheritance," he said when she approached. "Lily and James Potter must have left you more than just a single vault."

She cast a curious glance at the marble building. She had never given much thought to her inheritance. She knew that she had received a large amount of gold when her parents – no, _adoptive_ parents had died, and that had been more than enough to keep her happy. She had never been greedy enough to think about having even _more_. "Yes, Father."

Going slowly so he wouldn't lose her in the crowd, he led her into the bank. There, too, the fervor of back-to-school shopping had spread. Witches stood in lines of nine or ten, bouncing whining toddlers on their hips or shushing the bored, overly-loud children standing with them. A few of the wizards tried to control the children as well, but most of them didn't spare the youngsters a glance or already had their progeny on their best behavior.

Liana tipped her witch's hat down nervously, hoping not to be recognized in the somewhat less crowded hall as she followed her father to one of the lines. While shorter than most of the others, there was still easily half a dozen people queued up in front of them. She couldn't help but notice that while most of the other rows had rowdy, fidgeting children who would yell to friends two lines away, the school aged children – actually, _all_ of the children, including small ones the ages of five and six – were all perfectly behaved, gazing calmly at a single spot and staying completely silent. She rubbed her arms self-consciously, unused to such _proper_ behavior from those her age or younger. She jumped when her father put his hand on her shoulder.

"Stop fidgeting," he murmured lowly. "Keep your back straight and chin up. You are a daughter of the Houses of Kuchiki and Potter. You must keep the pride of your families in mind."

Her brow creased as she took a deep, controlled breath. Slowly, her muscles relaxed, leaving her arms to hang limply at her sides. The hand on her shoulder shifted to her back, subtly prodding it into a straighter position. She fixed her gaze on the top of one of the decorative columns behind the teller desk. Her father's hand returned to her shoulder, lingering for a single moment before disappearing.

"We are here to see the manager of the Potter Estate." He slid an envelope with a stag stamped onto the back across the counter. The teller opened and read it carefully before giving a stiff nod. "Bogrod!" he barked. "Take them to Master Pentex."

A small (even for goblin standards), grumpy looking goblin detached himself from the far wall, gesturing impatiently for them to follow him as he stomped through one of the adjacent hallways. He stopped abruptly at one of the doors, and Liana would have tripped over him if her father hadn't reached out to correct her balance. "Master Pentex," he called through the door. "There are… wizards here to see you." The word was sneered, as if a badly kept lie that he was, however unwillingly, being forced to keep. Liana wondered why this goblin in particular was so unpleasant.

The doors opened, revealing a stocky, well dressed creature sitting on an elevated chair. His desk was piled with papers and the goblin glared over the rim of his glasses at them while continuing to scribble on the work in front of him. Two chairs appeared, facing the front of the desk, and her father fisted a hand in front of his heart.

"Good morning, Master Pentex," he said formally. "I am Lord Byakuya Kuchiki. I am here to discuss the condition of the estates of my daughter, the Heiress Potter, and the wills of her adoptive parents, the Late Lord and Lady Potter. May your gold ever flow."

Liana shot her father a startled look. Heiress Potter? If he wanted to exaggerate, she supposed. But the wills? What did they have to do with anything?

The goblin snorted and eyed them nastily. Liana suppressed a shudder as it rested on her for an inordinary amount of time. "We at Gringotts aren't as easily swayed as the sheep who make up the Wizarding World," he stated. "You will need to take a blood test to prove your identity and your relation to Heiress Potter."

"Blood test?" Liana echoed. "What's that?"

"A magical test that determines the closest familial relations of a given person," her father said. He took off the black gloves that he had donned for the day. "It is similar to a DNA test in the Muggle world. Only a small blood sample is needed."

Liana frowned as Master Pentex opened a drawer before taking out a red tinted piece of parchment. He took a stone dagger out of another drawer and set them both on a cleared part of his crowded desk. "Heiress Potter first. Make a small incision on your hand and let the blood drip onto the parchment – only a small part of it, if you will," he sneered.

She bit her lip nervously as, hesitantly, she picked up the dagger. Breath held in trepidation, she pressed the edge of the blade to her forefinger. She held her hand over the parchment long enough for a few drops to fall before hastily pulling it back.

The blood on the parchment shifted, stretching upwards and outwards in straight, neat lines. _Liana Lily Potter_. Two lines up, _Byakuya Kuchiki_ and _Hisana Fujii_. Two more lines from her father, _Sojun Kuchiki_ and _Aimi Saito_. From her mother, there was _Hibiki Fujii_ and _Etsuko Kuroki_.

The goblin grunted and pulled it back, replacing the family tree with another piece of parchment. "Lord Kuchiki now. This will determine if you really _are_ Lord Kuchiki. Too many wizards have impersonated each other to try to get to their gold," he grumbled.

"The human race is wide and diverse. Unfortunately, some men have no shame or consideration for others," he commented, picking up the dagger and dripping some blood onto the sheet. As soon as he moved to bring his hand back, the skin around the cut began knitting back together. Liana stared before inspecting her own hand. There was no sign that she had ever been cut at all – nothing but smooth, unblemished skin revealed itself.

The blood on the parchment began crawling across the yellowed surface, spreading elegant lines and curles over it. She watched as it turned a light, delicate shade of pink that contrasted oddly with the dried animal skin. A hexagon was in the middle of the sheet, bordering what looked like the curved eaves of an oriental roof. Flowy lines, rather like rivers, spread out from the top of the roof, and a flower with five heart-shaped petals rested under it.

_Byakuya Kuchiki. Son of Sojun Kuchiki and Aimi Sato. 28th Head of the House Kuchiki_, it read.

Master Pentex looked at it carefully, comparing it to what was written on Liana's own parchment. "Everything seems to be in order," he said, "but the change in color is rather curious…"

"That would be the influence of my zanpakuto," her father said, inclining his head. "My Senbonzakura is very fond of the cherry blossoms of my country."

"Zanpakuto?" The goblin's eyes widened before narrowing. "So you are one of _them_." He glared suspiciously at the both of them, and Liana suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to squirm in her seat.

"How else would a family such as my own be able to conceal itself for so many years? We cannot be found if we do not wish it – our magicks ensure that." The atmosphere shifted, tense and almost challenging. Liana gave up the battle and squirmed.

The goblin snorted. "You do not need to remind me of that. The Goblin Nation has certainly tried to find your kind enough times. It seems we shall soon try again." The unspoken threat hung in the air, adding to the tension that seemed to build thicker and thicker.

Gray eyes narrowed. "My family has exited for longer than goblins have walked the earth, and the Kuchikis have always taken very _meticulous_ records. I trust you will not breach my confidence, Master Pentex."

For a single suffocating moment, silence reigned in the office. Master Pentex gave him a squinty eyed stare before breaking into a vicious grin. "You are much more amusing than most wizards are, Lord Kuchiki. I will not speak."

The tension dispersed and the air relaxed, and Liana suddenly found that she could breathe again. "My family is very involved with so many different races and aspects of the world, Master Pentex. Such maneuvering, even if between two different species, is child's play."

"Hm. And how many besides myself know of this?" the goblin inquired, steepling his fingers in front of him.

"Yoruichi Shihoin is of the same people, and the Japanese government is delighted to have us in their society," he replied.

"What?" Liana stared between the two. "_What_ secret? What are you talking about?"

There was a short silence. "The Kuchiki family originates from a small community in Japan," her father explained. "We are a type of mage who exist to protect the Balance of Nature; however, most wizards only have vague scripts and legends on us, and the Japanese are the only ones who truly believe in Balancers."

"The Balance of Nature?" The words rolled over her tongue and felt very odd. "I didn't know there were wizards who controlled that sort of thing."

"Protect, not control," he corrected. "And we are mages, not wizards. We have unlocked the power within our souls and became many times more powerful for it. Any Balancer should easily be able to defeat most wizards, even without any prior knowledge of them or their abilities." He frowned slightly a Master Pentex extracted some of the many files that had accumulated on his desk. "With great power comes great responsibility. Wizards of the world were charged long ago with helping their non-magical brethren live more happily. Unfortunately, most of Europe seems to have forgotten that."

"An act that was aided from both sides of the conflict," Master Pentex snarked. "I don't think the worlds would have been separated if it hadn't been for those witch hunts or _religions_."

"The human race will always look for a scapegoat when things go wrong," her father said. "They will also persecute those whom they deem "different." Given that they believed wizards to have the power to improve their lives (which they did, so it is also, in part, the fault of the wizards of that age) and that the muggles have always outnumbered the wizards and witches in the world, it is merely a result of human nature at its worst." He paused. "There is no shame in the belief of a higher being. Is it not true that the Olde Ways worship several deities? As I understand it, most sentient magical beings still practice them."

Master Pentex grunted as he slid several large file folders across the desk. Liana leaned forward and peered at them. They were all very thick – each about the size of what Hermione called heavy reading – and had notes and tiny pieces of parchment poking through at random intervals. They were labeled "PROPERTIES," "LOANS & BONDS," "VAULTS & ACCOUNT ACTIVITY," and "HEIRLOOMS & INHERITANCES."

"These are the most basic portions of Heiress Potter's assets," the goblin said, a dark gleam in his eye at his extraordinarily obvious way of changing the subject. He seemed to be entirely aware of how much work that he was relieving himself of at the expense of the Kuchiki lord. "They are also copies. The originals will be kept here at Gringotts. I will be happy to send you the rest of the portfolio when you finish reviewing this portion, Lord Kuchiki."

The black haired man stared blankly at the files in front of him, his jaw contracting minutely at the thought of the time that he would have to invest into putting his daughter's affairs in order. "I shall review them at a later date," he finally said. He quickly checked to make sure the papers wouldn't spill at jostling before placing them into a charmed suitcase that he had brought along. "Thank you for your help in the matter, Master Pentex. The wills?"

"The late Lord and Lady Potter had created a joint will for their estate and fortune. It was sealed by the Wizengamot fourteen years ago," Master Pentex informed them. "You will have to go through the authorization process if you wish to see them, and it will probably take some time before the request to see the will gets through."

"But isn't Professor Dumbledore the head of the... Wizengamot?" Liana asked somewhat frantically. "Wouldn't he have done something?"

"Albus Dumbledore is the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot," Master Pentex acknowledged. "However, his position is only a symbolic one. At best, he is a medium through which the Wizengamot expresses its desires. While he is given more voting and veto power than most Wizengamot seats (which may not matter anyway, as some wizards hold more than one seat), it is terribly easy for his judgement to be overruled."

Liana's insides froze and her mind seemed to stop. She had never quite realized how dependent she had been on Professor Dumbledore. She had known that he was a very powerful figure, not only magically but politically as well, and had come to see him as a protector in both aspects. To hear that he did not, in fact, hold the power that she had believed him to shocked her. "Ignorance is bliss," she vaguely thought, turmoil churning her insides into a sickening mush.

"I see…" Her father frowned in thought, completely unaware of her inner struggle. "As their adoptive daughter, Liana has the most say regarding their will. What is it you wish to do, child?"

Her gaze flickered wildly from her father to the goblin and back again. "I-I-" She gulped heavily, trying to piece together enough of her mind to answer the question. "I want to-to see it," she finally stammered before continuing more firmly, "I want to know what they said."

Master Pentex nodded gruffly, producing a ream of papers and shoving it across the desk. "Then you and Lord Kuchiki will both have to complete the application, Heiress Potter. Take your time."

She stared incomprehensibly at the stack of parchment, towering high over her head and enveloping her in its shadow. Her father sighed and reached for a quill.

"How I despise paperwork."

~oOo~

By the time father and daughter finally left the office, Yoruichi, Ron, and Hermione had made it to Gringotts. They were standing in an empty part of the bank's lobby, a few shopping bags dotted here and there while they discussed how inflation in both galleons and muggle pounds might affect the exchange rate. Or Yoruichi and Hermione were, at any rate. Ron looked supremely bored at the conversation and was staring vacantly around the bank.

"Gringotts will be holding a reading for the will of Lord and Lady Potter," the Kuchiki lord said as he approached. His daughter clung to his arm, looking dazed and confused. She had not had enough time to fully process the situation while putting signature after signature after initial on the official papers. "It may not be for over a year, however."

"Hm. What else can you expect? With this entire bloody country being such a corrupted bureaucracy," Yoruichi grumbled. "Well, let's get Liana back to your manor. Hopefully, it'll distract her for a while."

"If it doesn't, I shall worry," he murmured while gently leading his daughter back to the Leaky Cauldron.

~oOo~

"Go change into something more casual," the Kuchiki lord said once they had all flooed back to his family's manor. "The rest of the day will require more comfortable clothing than this morning."

Yoruichi smirked as the three Gryffindors left the room. Byakuya quietly sent a servant after them, instructing the maid to help his daughter if she needed it. "Do you think that sending Pettigrew to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was too much?"

"No."

~oOo~

"What's going on?" Liana walked blindly through the twisting halls, now dressed in a pair of jean shorts, a Wierd Sisters T-shirt, and a pair of navy trainers. The hands on her shoulders gently steered her to the left as she struggled to make anything of her surroundings. Hermione had been waiting in the hall for her, wearing a simple blue T-shirt and jeans, and had wrapped a blindfold around her eyes before leading her through the house.

They must have walked through the front door (or maybe a side door? Heavens, she didn't even know if they had a back door) because she had inhaled a deep breath of fresh air. Crisp grass crunched beneath her trainers before springing back up, and she heard birdcalls in the distance as the cloth was lifted from her eyes.

"SURPRISE!" She jumped as the tremendous shout hit her, eyes snapping open to gape at the crowd in front of her. Her yearmates in Gryffindor, she counted, the Weasleys, several teenagers whom she might have seen at Hogwarts at one point, a crowd of somewhat formally dressed people who may be reporters, Remus (in fact, a good majority of her professors. What were they doing there?) and the most surprising of all:

"Sirius!" She froze for a moment, caught between whether she should hug her godfather or submit to appearances and back away from the known "criminal." After a second, she determinedly went with her first instinct and tackled him to the ground. "What are you doing here?"

"I went through the trouble of tracking down Pettigrew and sending him to the Ministry." Behind her stood Yoruichi, smirking smugly at her. It seemed that she had changed as well, but into a strange orange long sleeve that folded over itself, opaque black pants, tan boots (were those shinguards?), and a red and tan scrunchie that kept her ponytail together. "Byakuya's making me get along with him too," she said, jerking her thumb at the grim animagus, "so you better like this party."

"Thank you!" She was the next to fall victim to a tackle-hug. "Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!" She peeled herself off before looking around. "All day… I thought everyone forgot. Merlin, even I forgot!"

"Why would you think we would forget your birthday?" She turned to see her father, still clad in the same outfit he had worn to Diagon Alley. "That is something those Dursleys would do, child, but certainly not us."

Any further conversation was halted by the sudden appearance of an oriental style door. The glowing, rectangular gates slid open, as did the circular ones inside, revealing a girl who barely seemed to have reached her majority and an elderly man who held himself with a familiar pride and grace.

"Nii-sama!" the girl called.

"Rukia, Sofu." Liana stared, more than a bit startled at the two newcomers. Her father didn't seemed fazed, and instead led her towards the fading gates. "Welcome. This is Liana." He had her shoulder in a firm grip as she stared, suddenly wild-eyed and supremely uncomfortable. Even after four years at Hogwarts, she had never been very social, and she hunched slightly at the strangers. The hand on her shoulder slipped down to her back, prodding it straight like it had at the bank. She gave her father a panicked look, only to be met with a stern but meaningful glance. "Liana, this is your Aunt Rukia and Great-grandfather Ginrei."

The girl gave her a warm grin, violet eyes sparkling happily. "Hello, Liana," she said, her excitement obvious in her words despite her slight accent.

"H-hello," she said shyly, wishing that she could bolt back inside. Couldn't they have told her that she was going to meet more members of her family today? Was a warning too much to ask? She had never been good with new people.

Before those thoughts could continue, they were abruptly shoved out of her mind by a flying tackle that sent her stumbling a few feet forward. "Happy birthday, Liana!" a girl chirped. Someone was giggling uncontrollably into her ear as they squeezed her in a hug before abruptly letting go.

Liana whirled around, having recognized the laughter, and saw a bright red mane running off. "Ginny!" she exclaimed, quickly giving chase. The amused looks from the three Kuchikis weren't noticed as she laughed, trying to catch up to her friend.

The Weasley girl's two eldest brothers, Bill and Charlie, chuckled from where they were standing with the rest of their family. Charlie nudged his older brother and looked pointedly at the brooms that had been set aside for the Quidditch game scheduled for later. Mischievously, the two whipped out their wands and levitated them, hovering the two brooms just in front of the girls as they ran, zipping in and out between the guests.

Ginny laughed and gave a running jump onto the Nimbus 2001, immediately soaring into the air and further away from the older Gryffindor. Liana grinned, leaping onto the Comet Two-Sixty and following her. The party guests watched in delight as the chase evolved into a game of Snitch and Seeker with the seeker rapidly winning.

"It seems that she has marvelous friends, if the girl was willing to interrupt us," Ginrei noted, well aware of the intimidating image he and his grandson made with their formal demeanors. "If what you say about her abused is true, Byakuya, then it would take far more than the average teenager's loyalty of this day and age for her to be so open."

"It is likely that is has something to do with the strange adventures that seem to follow her," his grandson replied. "She and her closest friends have created a unique group, connected through their shared memories and the magical bonds that they may not even know exist."

"Perhaps. But while they may not be aware of _those_ bonds, there are other which they must know of." The older man paused. "It is unfortunate that Riddle had to choose the daughter of a captain to be his enemy."

"Yes, Sofu."

By the time the two girls finally dismounted half an hour later, laughing and red faced from the wind and exertion, the guests had gotten bored and were talking amongst themselves while the press quizzed them and took pictures of the grounds. For once, Rita Skeeter was nowhere to be seen, keeping true to the deal that Hermione had made with her during the previous school year.

Surrounded by her friends and the family whom she had just met, yet already endeared herself to, the green eyed girl relaxed and enjoyed the party, ecstatic at the thought of having a birthday celebration for the first time in her memory.

After a few hours of running, laughing, and generally having a good time (and somehow ignoring the press that had followed her like an ugly shadow since she had first entered the Wizarding World), it was time to open presents. The entire several-hundred person entourage was led into the manor proper (though after a warning that nothing was to be touched and anyone with mal intent would be forcibly removed from the property) and into a large hall that had only a rather comfortable looking chair and a large oak table for furnishings.

She flushed from the attention when Yoruichi insisted she sit in the chair, and there were multiple flashes as cameras started going off. Her father didn't seem to notice (or perhaps it was he didn't care?) as he stepped forward, handing her a simple yet elegant box that had a distinctly oriental style and was the size of the small chest that Oliver kept his prized set of Quidditch balls in. She stared at him in shock before opening it reverently. The inside was lined with a deep amethyst dyed velvet and neatly separated into small compartments. In the compartments were all sorts of trinkets – fans and broaches, hairpins and combs and ornaments, and even a strange elongated bead that she could only assume was supposed to have a thin lock of hair threaded through it.

"This box and everything in it was once your mother's," her father quietly explained. Her gaze snapped back up to him and her fingers froze, clutching a delicate golden rod that had a string of flowers falling softly from the end. "I thought that you would appreciate it."

She stared at the box with an intense appreciation as her eyes stung and a lump formed in her throat. Silently, she closed the box and carefully set it down before standing up and – in a moment of sheer emotion where all of her usual senses were overwhelmed by shock and gratitude – wrapped her arms around her father's waist and buried her face into his midsection.

She didn't see how his eyes widened with shock, or how Yoruichi sucked in a sharp breath or how his grandfather raised an eyebrow or how his sister clapped her hands over her mouth. She just clung to him, breathing in the sweet scent of what Yoruichi had identified as sakura blossoms and letting all of her sincerity and joy melt into the embrace.

"Thank you," she whispered, barely audible and muffled against his shirt.

Cameras flashed in the background more wildly than before, and he hesitantly brought his arms to settle awkwardly around her. "It is only right. Happy birthday, child."

Sniffling quietly, she beamed at him before sitting back down, awarded by the barest hint of a smile as her father shifted, subtly regaining his composure.

The three Japanese standing behind him calmed down as the party goers beyond chattered happily about the "sweet, touching scene." It wasn't long before Yoruichi grinned and strode forward as her counterpart moved to stand by his daughter's side.

"Here." She reached into the folds of her top and handed her a piece of parchment. Tutting was heard from those close enough to see about how inappropriate a gift it was. "It's a Marauder's map of the community that Byakuya and the rest of us are from." She didn't mention the long conversation that she had had with Remus Lupin the day before, trying to replicate the complicated piece of magic. The purple haired witch leaned in to whisper to her. "The activation code is "Norberta," and the closing phrase is still "Mischief Managed."

"You didn't have to get me this!" Liana exclaimed. "You already got me the locket, Yoruichi!"

She was met with a stubborn grin as gold eyes twinkled merrily. "This isn't a gift, Liana. It's a means to do me a favor. Byakuya's been stuck in a rut for years and years. He needs some excitement in his life. I want you to give him some chaos when I'm not around to do it."

"But I don't even know where this place is," she protested weakly.

The older witch shrugged. "Then study it so you know your way around. You might as well do it now – the place is a bloody labyrinth."

She sighed, deciding that the woman wasn't going to take a no for an answer. "Thank you."

"You say that way too often." She rolled her eyes before grinning. "It's your birthday, kiddo. Don't worry about it!"

The next few hours passed in a maelstorm of gifts. Hermione had given her the latest edition of _Hogwarts: A History_ with a self-updating copy of her own personal notes in the back. Ron and Ginny had scrabbled together their combined chocolate card collections and picked out half of the more interesting cards, along with notes on their rarity and street value. From Mrs. Weasley, she received a tin of homemade treacle tarts (her favorite dessert, coincidentally).

Draco gave her a golden dragon pendant on a silver chain, much to her surprise. They _had_ just agreed to put their four year war in the past a month or so ago. It was an interest thing, with emerald eyes and wings dramatically flared and lined with sparkling red, and she promptly decided that she would probably never find any clothes exquisite enough or an excuse elaborate enough to wear it. She thanked him all the same.

Even her newly met relatives had prepared something for her, a consideration that the Dursleys had done rather poorly on the rare occasion they even bothered. Her great-grandfather had picked out a china tea set that she was told was trimmed of real gold and used by King George IV back in his day, and her aunt had managed to get her hands on a muggle rabbit doll dressed to look like Merlin. It was supposed to be a product of a rabbit-centered company that she was fond of, and one of the rare few in existence. Yoruichi had laughed when she saw it.

After that, the presents she received were from the general masses. Curse breakers stood at the ready, and her father and Yoruichi laid a magical barrier that wouldn't let a guest or gift with harmful intent past right in front of the waiting line. She spent quite some time opening the presents and thanking the bearer for their trouble (even if she oftentimes didn't know who she was speaking to). It seemed, she noted with a groan, that she still had many fans out there, despite the Ministry and Prophet both doing their best to change that.

Or maybe not. She had received a strange, squishy plushy in the shape of a horn at some point.

~oOo~

The Kuchiki lord swept a cautious gaze at the crowd before him as his daughter thanked some witch or another for a training snitch or some such object. There was still a long line of wizards and witches stretching across the ballroom, but it was significantly shorter than it had been. Those who had already delivered their gifts stood to both sides of the queue, conversing happily and admiring the manor. He had lost sight of his sister and grandfather a while ago, as they had disappeared into the mass for the purpose of socialising and improving the general opinion of the Kuchiki family, but he could still sense their presences with ease.

Someone approached him, and he turned his head to see the aristocratic wizard whom he had been entertaining for the past several weeks walk up to him. He inclined his head in greeting. "Lord Malfoy."

"Lord Kuchiki. What a splendid party you've thrown for your daughter." There was an undercurrent in his words, and the captain recognized the stiff nervousness that the blond was expertly hiding with a practiced eye.

"Thank you. Out of her now fifteen years, she has only had one truly happy birthday. I wish to give her another one."

"You have only been a father for a month, but what an excellent one you make. I find myself envious." There was a hint of bitterness in the last word, a double meaning, and the black haired noble found his curiosity piqued. "May I request a private audience, Lord Kuchiki?"

A quick glance at Yoruichi affirmed that she had heard every word, and the Goddess of Flash smirked, giving a small nod. He turned back to the wizard. "Of course. My office isn't very far from the ballroom."

Several hours later, he was headed towards his daughter's bedchambers, having just finished seeing the last of the guests off and shooing the overly curious reporters out of his manor. His mind mulled over the information that he had been given. The Malfoys were unwilling prisoners of the Dark Lord's reign of terror, being held hostage by the Lord's mark and the Lady's unwitting sister, and they wanted out.

It had been a gamble on his part to choose to associate himself with Malfoys, who had a not-so-secret but not publicly admitted reputation of being dark, but his grandfather had taught him that the well-honed instinct of a politician was his best weapon, and something in his mind had been insistent that he get to know them.

That train of thought was chased away as he approached the door to his daughter's room. He knocked twice before opening the door, and she looked up from where she had been braiding her hair for bed.

"Did you enjoy your birthday party?" he asked as he entered, closing the door behind him.

"It was the best," she said eagerly. "I don't think I could've had a better one. Thank you, Father."

"I am glad." He had done anything and everything he could to give her an enjoyable party. "I want you to be happy, my child." She grinned and sat atop her Hogwarts trunk, which rested at the foot of her bed, and a thought occured to him. "Has Yoruichi told you that she will be accompanying you to Hogwarts?"

Her eyes shone with surprise. "No. She is?"

"Yoruichi has distrusted Headmaster Dumbledore since before she ever met the man," he disclosed. "Unfortunately, over the years, her hatred has grown to the point where I have no doubt she would kill him if she had the chance. Naturally, she is unwilling for you to be anywhere near him without her there, so she will be following in her cat form the majority of the time."

She pulled her sheets back and crawled to the middle of the bed. "So I'm going to have to tell people I got a cat? I s'pose I'll pass her off as a birthday present…" She gave a wary glance at the new shelves and cabinets that held her new gifts.

He was amused at her reaction. "Sleep well, my child." He pulled up her covers and straightened up.

"Goodnight…"

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><p>Review!<p>


	5. Back to School

I do not own anything

This is for Veterans' day. Thank you to all those who risked their lives for the United States of America, and thank you to all those who are risking them now.

Happy 11-11-11! (Heh... my 3rd period even set an alarm for 11:11 a.m.)

**EDITED: MARCH 14, 2013-MARCH 27, 2013. For those of you who have followed this fic since before I started editing, I'd like for you to note that this is the combined fifth and sixth chapters from before. It just seemed like waaay too much filler for my liking.**

* * *

><p>"<em>I should have known that something like this would happen," <em>Liana thought miserably as she ducked under an incoming hex. While she would be the first to say that her fifteenth birthday was probably the best one she had ever had, things had gone downhill from there. She and her friends still followed the same schedule as always, but rather than studying in the mornings, Yoruichi spent the time trying to improve their speed, agility, tactical skills (read: ability to come up with outrageously creative techniques that would still somehow work _while dodging hexes_), accuracy, spell inventory, and general dueling ability. Liana's after-lunch meditation session was now spent in her father's study as he taught her exercises that supposedly improved her memory and lectured her about their family history and culture. She was still expected to meditate every night before bed, though she was grateful for the time to relax, sit quietly, and _focus_.

Hermione had been upset about it at first, worrying about the underage magic (which she was eventually told was unnoticed by the Ministry behind the manor house's extensive wards) and saying that she no longer had enough time to do complete her homework. She and her fellow Gryffindors were told to finish it on their own time (Byakuya claimed that they had more than sufficient time to finish it on their own).

The Malfoy and Weasley patriarchs both acknowledged the wisdom in better dueling, and managed to ignore each other enough to send their own offspring to the Japanese owned property for training fairly often. Not that said offspring appreciated being left to Yoruichi's clutches.

On the last day of summer holidays, Liana was given a small bag of strange, marble shaped pills and a good supply of muggle makeup foundation (complete with application instructions).

"It is taken for granted that most Balancers have obtained several wounds severe enough to scar," her father said as he handed them to her. "These are taken by most of us in order to clear them. They will not heal the deeper ones, such as your curse scar, but they will help minor scars heal very nicely, and Yoruichi claims you can use the foundation to cover up any others."

"Thank you, Father." She eyed the green colored balls curiously for a moment before closing the bag.

"Keep in mind that while you may be at Hogwarts, I am only an owl away," he said gently. "If there are any problems, speak to Yoruichi. She will tell me if anything comes up, and I will do my best to be there for you if things get out of hand."

"Yes, sir." She smiled at him, enjoying the warm feeling inside of her that originated from his obvious care.

"I wish you the best, my child."

~oOo~

"Be careful, all of you," the black haired lord said the next day, raising his voice slightly in order to be heard over the cacophony of well wishers, chattering teenagers, and screeching pets. "I do not wish to receive a notice because someone has nearly died." It went without saying that the statement was directed at his daughter.

She pouted. "I'm not that bad," she complained.

"That's right," a deep voice chuckled. "You're worse." Yoruichi yawned from the top of Hermione's luggage. The three Hogwarts students had been startled when they first heard her speak in her cat form. They were still trying to comprehend the idea of the possibility of an animagus being capable of human speech in their animal form.

"It's almost eleven!" Hermione pointed out. "We should get on the train soon – there's no flying car to take you this year."

"Yeah." Liana ignored the poke and jibe from their second year, instead grabbing her trunk and triple checking that she had everything. "Goodbye, Father!" She waved at him as she clambered onto the train, followed quickly by her friends. They just managed to get into a compartment when there was a shrill whistle and the train started moving. Liana barely had enough time to catch another glimpse of her father – somehow, he seemed to know exactly where she was, and was staring straight at her window – before he was gone from sight.

"Cheer up, mate," Ron consoled when she dropped, a bit moodily, into her seat. "It's not like you'll never see him again. No parent gives up a chance to see their kid."

Yoruichi mewled in agreement. Neville, who was sharing the compartment along with Ginny and a fourth year Ravenclaw by the name of Luna Lovegood, quickly changed the topic by exclaiming happily over one of his birthday presents.

Towards the end of the journey, the group fell silent, dozing for the last leg of the train ride or, in Liana's case, meditating. Yoruichi smirked lightly as the green eyed girl's reiatsu shifted, indicating that she had found her inner world.

Despite being born a soul, somehow the girl had ended up a human. Perhaps it was one of Kisuke's special gigais, she mused, created for the sole purpose of creating a Chain of Fate that bound a soul together with a gigai and give the gigai distinctly human characteristics. It was only conjecture at this point, but it was better than nothing.

Would she find anything there? It had been proven by the Department of Research and Development that, while it was impossible for humans who were in no way deceased to find their zanpakutos, they could locate their inner worlds if they meditated regularly and were exposed to reishi enriched areas. It would be enough to keep out the most skilled mortal legilimens, but it wouldn't offer the same mental discipline that Occlumency did.

She sighed. It wasn't as if she needed it. Liana was a Kuchiki, after all. If she didn't have that discipline already, she surely would by the time Byakuya was through with her.

The teenagers jerked back to awareness when the train stopped, stumbling onto the train station and sleepily adjusting their rumpled robes. The dull, sickeningly sweet professor didn't help with their drowsiness, and the six quite nearly fell asleep at the table.

The majority of the student body shared their reactions, but the former captain paid rapt attention, eyes getting narrower and narrower at every word. By the end of the speech, she had much on her mind. It seemed that the Ministry was going to get involved after all.

~oOo~

Severus Snape, truth be told, hated September 1st. It marked the beginning of another long ten months of teaching dunderheads who couldn't tell the difference between a cauldron and their soup bowls with barely a respite. He sneered at the tearful goodbyes described by some students and scoffed at the exuberant year-long plans exclaimed by others. Despite that, he knew his job and, as any good professor should, was spending the first hour before breakfast in his office, preparing for the term.

Normally, he didn't expect any visitors this early in the year. Most students would be wary to approach his office at any time, much less immediately after they returned from holiday. When a student knocked at his door (and it _was _a student. He had long ago memorised the way his colleagues knocked on doors, and there was no one who had a knock _that_quiet), he had to question their sanity, however momentarily.

"Enter." The door opened, and a thin eyebrow raised when a familiar young Gryffindor, one of the only two Gryffindors whom he would ever tolerate, stepped in. "Yes, Miss Potter?"

"I'm sorry if I'm bothering you, Professor," she said sheepishly, twisting her hands nervously together. He waved a negligent hand in the air, motioning for her to continue as he checked a few of his ingredients. "It's just… I wanted to know more about something, and Yoruichi's too busy trying to find Draco for some reason…"

"What is it?" What could it possibly be for her to come to him? Surely Minerva would have been a better choice, being the head of Gryffindor House.

"I want to know more about zanpakuto." She didn't seem to notice the potions master's incredulous look, nor did she notice when he set his jar of pickled bat wings down, attention focused completely on her. "I mean, my father said that my zanpakuto was probably the main thing blocking my mind from outsiders – or something like that, anyway. I looked it up, and the book said that Occlumency is the only known way of shielding the mind, and Yoruichi said that you were good at it, so…"

The black haired man was on his feet and towering over her in an instant, his voice softening to one that he used with only the most troublesome of students. "Your father knows what a zanpakuto is?"

"Yes, sir," she said, confused at his reaction. What was wrong? Had she said something? "He said his is named Senbonzakura. I can't find mine, though, and Yoruichi won't even admit that she has one, even though I know she does."

He stilled. When his mother had died in his sixth year, Severus, desperate to know that his dear mother was safer, happier, had scoured the library for any sign of what happened after death, and had come across a strangely detailed manuscript that described zanpakutos and their users.

"Your father has one? And so does Shihoin?"

"Yes, sir. Professor, why's that important?"

"Never mind that," he snapped uncharacteristically. To the surprise of those who had known him in school, Severus Snape was very kind to the young Potter. Due in part to the fact that she looked so much like her deceased adoptive mother, he couldn't help but feel endeared to the girl the moment he had laid eyes on her in her first year, almost exactly three years ago.

Ebony wood flashed and a silver doe sprang out, prancing happily about the office. "Get to my office immediately, Shihoin," the potions master growled at it. The doe wandered a few more steps before leaping towards the door.

Liana hastily stepped to the side to avoid being run over by the patronus and wondered why the Slytherin head seemed so agitated as he paced in front of his desk.

A few moments later, Yoruichi stepped through the doorway in her natural form. "What's going on?" she asked seriously. The normally dour man's terse message and tenser form didn't bode well, and while she doubted he would actually risk it, she couldn't deny the possibility that Voldemort may try to launch an attack on the school at any time.

Her eyes widened and she stilled as she suddenly found a black wand pointed at her chest.

"Shinigami," Severus breathed, having somehow crossed the ten feet between them in a bare instant. "All this time… you are a _shinigami_." It explained so much, when he took the time to think about it. How she had barely aged after so many years. Why there were no records of her or her associates anywhere in Europe. How she managed to appear and disappear so _easily_, even with Apparation and Portkey wards in place.

Yoruichi's mind ruthlessly squelched the shock down as her instincts screamed at her to take control of the situation. She smirked. "My, my, Severus. After twenty years, you've finally figured it out. I have to congratulate you. No wizard has managed so far. Well, no one except the old goat," she sneered. "Liana, didn't your father tell you to keep quiet about this?"

"I thought he meant what my zanpakuto looks like," she mumbled in confusion. Where had this hostility come from?

"No, you silly child. He mean _everything_. Especially anything pertaining to our abilities and origins." She sighed. "I suppose there's no point in getting upset over it now. Don't bother questioning the poor girl, Severus. She barely knows what a zanpakuto is, much less everything else."

"If her father is a shinigami, is she…" He trailed off, for once unsure of how to phrase it.

"Oh, no. You need to be trained before you're considered a shinigami." Her eyes glittered with laughter, as if she found the question amusing. "She isn't even a full shinigami. Her mother was simply a lucky soul who ended up being a nobleman's wife. You don't have anything to worry about." She paused, becoming far more serious than she been just a few seconds ago. "I hope you know better than to spread this around, Severus Snape. With the current political climate, it may get dangerous. The wrong move and someone just might end up paying for it."

He snarled at her thinly veiled threat, and Liana found herself even more confused. "Fine. But you better stay out of my way, Shihoin."

She smirked and clapped a hand on Liana's shoulder. "I'm here to make sure Byakuya doesn't have to worry about Liana dying. I'll stay out of your way if it suits my purpose in being back in this wretched place."

He growled but conceded the point, all but shoving them out of his office.

"Liana, I need you to listen to me." Yoruichi said once they were in the relative privacy of the corridor. She grasped the younger girl's shoulders and stared straight into her eyes. "You cannot go around telling people these things. Not your friends, not your professors, and certainly not the headmaster. Believe me, that man will do anything to obtain pawns and weapons in this wretched war, even if it means kidnapping those who belong to other lands.

"Our homeland has many secrets that we can't afford to have outsiders know, Liana. Zanpakutos are included. I will have owl your father about this as soon as I can. I'm afraid that if this happens again, he won't have a choice but to take you back to our home and never let you come back to England again.

"We have too many secrets to keep. I know you're a good actress – you've shown that by hiding the damage the Dursleys inflicted so well. Use those skills for a reason and keep our secrets from the Englishmen. You may have been one of them before, but you are of Japanese lineage and have been trusted with our secrets. I know it's a lot, but you _can't_tell anyone. Not even Ron and Hermione."

"But they're my best friends!" she protested, panic beginning to surge in her mind.

"I know, but they are _outsiders_. I know this must be hard for you, but you are a Kuchiki by birth. The Kuchikis are known to be very traditional and strict in their values. Unless you want to be disowned and sent back to the Dursleys, you must do as you're told." That, of course, was unlikely. Byakuya valued familial loyalty over all, and she doubted he would disinherit his daughter under any but the most extreme circumstances.

Liana bowed her head, trying to shake her trembling. "Alright," she whispered.

Yoruichi smiled at her comfortingly, wondering if she had gone too far in pushing the point. "Don't worry. I'm sure it won't get that far. No matter what it takes, even if you are disowned, I will do anything I can to help the family of my mentor." She wrapped her arms around the shaking brunette and held her close, distantly noting the voices approaching from down the hall. "Wipe away those tears, silly girl. You'd better get to History before Filch catches you. I won't even bother with Binns, the boring old wart. I'll see you later."

After all, she had a letter to write.

~oOo~

"You mustn't tell such horrible lies, Miss Potter," Umbridge said sweetly. "And your father has already informed us he would do his best to keep you from doing so. You mustn't disobey your father, you know. Detention will help you learn that, I think."

Liana growled at her, opening her mouth to retort. Her skull throbbed horribly, pounding at her head as a thousand responses to the infuriatingly pink teacher flashed through her mind. Her day had been horrible, starting off with that disaster in Professor Snape's office, building up when History of Magic managed to be even _more _boring than usual, and climaxing in the Defense Against the Dark Arts room when the horrid ministry plant insisted not only on hindering her OWL students' studies on Defense but also spouting propaganda on why Voldemort "wasn't back."

Hermione pulled her back into her seat, whispering, "She's right, remember? Your father's telling everyone that you were lying, and that he straightened you out. If you don't stop soon, you'll ruin all the work he's put into this!"

The raven haired girl snarled but stopped. She glared at the toad like woman before slumping back into her seat, uncaring that she appeared to all the world like a spoiled child who hadn't gotten her way. Life wasn't fair.

~oOo~

"What's that?" Liana jerked to a stop, standing to one side of the corridor while wrapping her Gryffindor scarf tighter around her hand. She had been on her way back to Gryffindor Tower from her detention with Professor Umbridge, and had been trying to go quickly. She could smell the faint scent of blood from the words "I must not tell lies" etched onto the back of her hand and dreaded the thought of yet another letter being sent to her father by the professor.

She turned slowly to face the speaker. Yoruichi was standing behind her, arms crossed and brow raised questioningly as her golden eyes stared straight into her own. "Nothing," she said, holding both hands behind her back.

"Nice try, but I've seen enough blood in my life to be able to recognize the smell. It's only the first day, Liana. How did you already get hurt?" She moved closer, snatching up her hand and unwrapping it before the younger girl could pull away. She hissed. "That foul woman." She pulled her to the side of the hallway before carefully inspecting it. Her own mocha limb glowed a soft green as it hovered over the wounds, the blood clotting and marks fading on the pale skin before leaving nothing but a bright red spot. "Healing kido," the older witch explained. "I'll teach it to you during training, eventually. I don't think I'll be able to teach Ron and Hermione, though. They aren't ready for it yet."

"Ok," she agreed distractedly, relieved that the dull throb in the appendage was finally gone.

"If this is how all of your detentions are going to go, then I'm going to become your stalker-cat. Understand?" Yoruichi asked in a mockingly stern tone.

"Yes, ma'am," Liana grinned as the green light faded.

"Get to bed, you troublesome brat. And hide from the teachers." Yoruichi conjured her invisibility cloak and tossed it to her, watching as the girl threw it on and hurried away, silent as a result of her continuous summer training.

"_What a disgrace you are, Shunshin Yoruichi," _she thought. **"**_You are here on a mission and managed to get too attached to the girl. You must stop. You are a Shihoin and must help your people in wartime. Even if they don't know you are."_


	6. Trial and Error

I do not own anything

The first part is more filler than anything. It's really just an excuse to get Pettigrew out of the way and form the DA.

Still, hope you enjoy!

**EDITED: MARCH 27, 2013-April 13,2013 Once again, two chapters combined into one because I don't think there's enough plot importance.**

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><p>"-let us hope that this gross mishandling of evidence committed by the previous administration can be resolved by both the present administration and this illustrious body before me," Minister Cornelius Fudge said firmly as he looked around Courtroom 10 and at the masses of civilians, reporters, and Wizengamot members.<p>

"In other words: We're so sorry this happened. It's Bagnold's fault. I'm going to do my best to not make it worse while making myself look better at the same time," Yoruichi whispered. Liana stifled a giggle, grateful for the slight relief from the dull monotony of rehearsed speeches.

It was only a month after term had started, but she, Ron, and Hermione had been summoned out of school and to the Ministry of Magic to give testimonies at the long overdue trial of Peter Pettigrew. As she understood it, the Minister had spent a few months blustering about, worrying over what to do with the suddenly resurfaced rat animagus. He had not wanted to try him, as it would show that he was cooperating with the delusional "Girl-Who-Lied," but Madam Augusta Longbottom had been visiting Director Bones when Pettigrew had arrived and had spread the gossip amongst the other purebloods. It had only been a week ago when he finally gave in to the Wizarding World's cries for blood and scheduled a trial, but it had apparently been enough time for him to devise a plan to save his reputation – maybe even bolster it.

She yawned boredly as ministry officials continued with the formalities. It wasn't as if she wanted to be in the depressing courtroom. She would much rather be training in the hidden room that Yoruichi had found on the seventh floor or better yet, lazing around with her friends and enjoying the glorious saturday morning outside.

Instead, she was stuck in the lowest bowels of the Ministry of Magic, bored out of her mind while the Wizengamot tried to convict Peter Pettigrew and investigate Cedric Diggory's death at the same time.

"I'm supposed to lie about Voldemort being back, right?" she whispered to Yoruichi. "How am I supposed to give testimony?"

"Just tell them whatever happened _before _you heard Voldemort and that Avada Kedavra was the first spell used," she hissed back.

"Fine." She tuned back into the Court proceedings in time to hear the minister call her to the witness' stand. She felt her father's gaze on her as she headed to the uncomfortable looking chair and took comfort in it.

"What is your name?" Fudge asked imperially once she had sat down.

"Liana Lily Potter," she responded. She and her father had decided that whether she went by Potter or Kuchiki depended which one was easier for those around her at that specific time to pronounce. They had yet to decide on a Japanese first name.

"What were you doing on the night of Cedric Diggory's murder, June twenty-fourth, nineteen-ninety-five?"

"I was competing in the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament."

"And Mr. Diggory was competing as well?"

"He was the Hogwarts Champion, yes."

"Did you witness the death of Mr. Diggory, Miss Potter?"

"I did."

"Describe the events immediately before and after Mr. Diggory's death."

She took a calming breath, resisting the urge to let her eyes flicker about the room. "The Third Task was a maze – a maze of great, magic resistant hedges full of creatures and traps and enchantments. The goal was to be the first champion to get to the Triwizard Cup at the middle of it.

"Viktor Krum and Fleur Delacoeur, the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons champions, had already been retrieved, so we were the only two left. We arrived at the cup at about the same time. Cedric was fighting an acromantula when I arrived and seemed to be losing. They're nasty things and will eat just about anything – if he lost, he'd die, so I helped him defeat it.

"We argued for a while about who should take the cup. I wanted him to because he got there before I did. He wanted me to because I saved his life. Eventually, I decided we should both take it at the same time, since it would be a Hogwarts victory either way.

"That's when things got bad. It turned out that Barty Crouch Jr. had been impersonating Mad-Eye Moody, our defense teacher at the time, for the entire school year, and had turned the cup into a portkey to a graveyard in Little Hangleton. We took out our wands, and I saw Peter Pettigrew. "Kill the spare," someone said. I don't know who it was. Pettigrew cast the Killing Curse at Cedric, and the next thing I knew, a corpse was lying at my feet."

Fudge nodded. "Is that all you recall in relevance to the death of Cedric Diggory, Miss Potter?"

She glanced at where Peter Pettigrew sat at the defendant's table, trembling and sinking under the weight of the glares he was receiving. Even his solicitor couldn't hide all of his disgust, though he valiantly tried to hide it behind a mask of indifference. "Yes, that's all."

"Are you certain?"

"I am."

"Very well. Thank you, Miss Potter. I now call Andrew Brosler to the stand…"

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><p>Yoruichi looked down at her To Do list.<p>

"_Hm… nothing left to do. I'll wait until after Christmas." _She sighed.

This was going to be hard.

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><p>The Goddess of Flash honestly had no idea what that woman – Umbridge, she reminded herself – was doing. Her so-called Educational Decrees were doing nothing but restricting the students in unreasonable ways, and none of them were happy about it. Now, with the twenty-fourth of her decrees, she had banned all teams, clubs, and organizations. Including Quidditch.<p>

This, she knew, was sure to drive the students over the edge.

She watched from the shadows as Hogwarts students milled about Hogsmeade, easily noticing when a plethora of students from all four houses entered the usually unpopular Hog's Head in groups of twos and threes.

She slipped in unnoticed and hid in a dark corner, content to watch whatever scheme the Golden Trio had concocted.

Half an hour later, she strolled back out, a cheshire grin on her face. "_So they've made an illegal defense club? Ah, the thrill of walking the line." _

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><p>Come Winter holidays, Liana was the most confused she had ever been in her life, though not quite the most scared. Mr. Weasley had been attacked by a snake, but she was certain it had been her… or had it? That was the confusing part. She didn't understand what was going on, but Mr. Weasley was recovering nicely, and she would soon be celebrating her first Christmas with her godfather, so she was willing to forget about it.<p>

Dumbledore and her father had decided (with no interference from Yoruichi or Sirius allowed) that Liana would stay at the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix (hadn't _that _been a doozy to learn about) until Boxing day, which was when she would return to the Kuchiki residence.

Barring the frightening hospitalization of Mr. Weasley, she had had a wonderful holiday, with Sirius pulling pranks on anyone and everyone, even Dumbledore. He was very excited for his first Christmas as an ex-convict and with his goddaughter.

Now it was Christmas day, and she couldn't be happier. She had gotten (what else?) a book from Hermione, specifically one about ancient Japan (as she couldn't find one on Japanese magic), a Chudley Cannons poster from Ron, a _journal _from Ginny, (as the poor girl couldn't bring herself to say diary anymore, and besides, her old one had started to look filled anyway), another tin of treacle tarts and a Weasley sweater from Mrs. Weasley, a set of crystal vials from Professor Snape (though he often said that if she dared to tell anyone that he sent her Christmas gifts, he would have her in detention every night until graduation), a scrapbook from Remus, and a literally two-way mirror from Sirius.

When she was in the middle laughing at her godfather's antics and listening to Fred and George's renditions of random Christmas Carols, Hedwig swooped into the room, two small packages tied to her legs.

"It's from your dad and Yoruichi, mate," Ron said, glancing at the labels.

"Well? Let's see!" Tonks said excitedly as her coloring settled on grass green hair and cheery red eyes.

Liana took the packages from her best friend and carefully opened the wrapping. Yoruichi's gift was in a bright, cheerful paper that was full of all sorts of felines, from roaring tigers to mewling tabbies, and was very, very loud. The present itself was a book of pranks that the older witch had never gotten around to pulling or had made up when she was bored, complete with detailed instructions and organized according to complexity and expected hilarity. With it came a note that read: "_Repeat: Give him chaos. P.S. There may be side effects to some of the pranks (or they might just blow up in your face). Make sure you're as far away as possible when they go off, or try to throw suspicion onto someone else."_

Her father had sent something more sensibly wrapped – it was in a dark blue paper with a rich silver ribbon holding it together, but was a box itself barely bigger than the size of her fist. Inside was a pair of teardrop earrings set in sapphire. The parchment that accompanied it had her father's neat, elegant hand written clearly on it. "_They belonged to Aimi Kuchiki, who was my mother and your grandmother. Treat them well, and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow. Merry Christmas, my child. Your father, Byakuya Kuchiki."_

After the belated gift opening, Sirius started yet another round of pranking with Remus, Fred, and George working together to counter him.

"No fair, Moony! Traitor!" he complained when his hair grew to extraordinary lengths and pooled around his feet.

"All's fair in love and war, Padfoot," the werewolf chuckled whilst shooting an enlargening hex at his nose.

"Ahhh! Look what you've done to me! I look like Snivellus!" he shouted in horror. Luckily, the potions master didn't make it a habit to come to most festivities.

Oh, how she loved Christmas.

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><p>After the mass chaoscelebrating at Grimmauld Place, Liana couldn't help but notice how distant her father was when she got back to the Kuchiki English Residence.

"He doesn't know how to bond with family," Yoruichi had explained. "He wasn't able to be a child when he should have been, and he doesn't have the instinctual ability most people have – it was bred out of him. When they were still alive, his parents were always playing with him – they were all very close – but they both died when he was four, so he can't really rely on that, especially since you're fifteen. His grandfather was always careful to keep a professional appearance around anyone, and without a second-in-command, he was too busy to be around much anyway.

"His wife, your mother, was probably the person he was closest to, but that was only for five years, and even then, it probably seemed more like six months. Until not too long ago, he couldn't bear to even look at his sister because she looks so similar to his wife.

"Just give him time, Liana. For years now, he's been an emotionless man. He needs time to thaw out his heart and decide what to do in such an unfamiliar situation. He'll figure it out eventually."

The rest of the holiday went on gloomily, only to hit an all-time low the day she was to return to Hogwarts. Yoruichi had announced that, having decided that Liana was far enough in her training to be able to continue in self study, she wouldn't be going back to Hogwarts with her.

"You've learned more or less every kido that's legal," she had said. "That's enough for now, I think. I've scared Umbridge into stopping her detentions, so that's out of the way. Your control over your magic is wonderful, and there really isn't anything else we can do about that. Just keep learning new spells and get Ron to use his chess skills for something useful and help you come up with more tactics. I have some business to attend to."

"You never do anything without an ulterior motive," her father had commented. "It's the mark of a good politician. Don't think me such a fool as to not know that. What are you planning this time, Yoruichi?"

She had smiled at him, a bit sadly. "The seeds have been planted. The flowers will soon bloom, and I need to prepare." There had been a pause before she added, "Don't worry, though. Whatever insane life-threatening adventure you manage to drag yourself into this time, I'll be there." She winked.

Her attempt at cheering her up hadn't worked.

Now Liana found herself on her way back to Hogwarts, feeling lonelier than she ever had at the Dursleys'.

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><p>Review!<p> 


	7. Wait - what?

I do not own anything

First of all, I'd like to apologize. When I first published this story, I mentally skimmed over what was or wasn't in it before publishing it… so that basically means I unintentionally lied. There are actually several references to Shinigami at Hogwarts. If you've already read it, good for you! Thanks for being such a great reader. If you haven't, I would recommend it to fully understand the fic.

Also, I'm actually editing this yesterday (does that make sense?) because on December 10th, 2011, I have to go to a parade at eight in the morning and I'm not sure if I'll have enough time to edit, as I like to update sometime before 10 in the morning.

**EDITED: APRIL 13, 2013-APRIL 23, 2013. A lot shorter than the others, but I _really _didn't want to change the ending... I got my computer back! Now you guys don't have to wait (well, anymore than planned, anyway) for more edits (and Yuri Potter...). The formatting may be a bit odd, but I needed a way to get through a lot of the school year without slaving over it. Kudos to the author of _Waiting in Sin_, Jerichos Phantom!  
><strong>

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><p>The first morning of the spring term, Liana felt terrible. The second half of her holidays had been horrible – what, with how distant her father had been and how Yoruichi had decided not to come to Hogwarts with her – and she kept having a strange dream about a hallway and a black door that left her sleep feeling anything but restful.<p>

"What's wrong with you, mate?" Ron asked as he shoveled his breakfast into his mouth.

"Nothing, just a bad dream," she sighed. Ronald simply shrugged and went back to being a human garbage disposal. "_Typical."_

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><p>Liana gaped at the monstrosity in front of her, unconsciously backing away and running into a tree. Hermione mimicked her actions a few feet away, and she suddenly wished that she hadn't agreed to this before she knew what she was getting into.<p>

"_This _is your _brother_?"

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><p>A dark figure knelt before a throne, unbothered by the shadows that seemed to fill the room and the large serpent that hissed and spat from the throne's feet.<p>

"I loathe Albus Dumbledore, my Lord, and I despise Byakuya Kuchiki for making a mockery of his father's name. Allow me to work under you, so I can rid the world of Dumbledore and cleanse the Wizarding World into what it should be."

A pause. Water dripped somewhere in the background, the sound made infinitely louder by the silence and still air.

"Very well."

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><p>"<em><strong>SIRIUS!" <strong>_

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><p>"No!" the muggleborn shouted. "No – Liana – Liana, we'll have to tell her!" She ducked her head dramatically, seeming to be near tears.<p>

"No way!" the black haired girl yelled. Was she insane? They couldn't tell her! If Umbridge found Sirius, then she'd – then she'd – she didn't even want to think about it.

"We'll have to, Liana, she'll force it out of us anyway. What's… what's the point?" The other girl's voice became thick and dull, and she seemed to have lost all hope.

Who was this and what had she done with Hermione Granger?

"Well, well, well," Umbridge said triumphantly, "Little Miss Question-All is going to give us some answers! Come on then, girl, come on!" She seemed entirely too gleeful.

"Er – my – nee – no!" Ron said through the gag that had been forced onto him. He struggled furiously against his captor, but the Auror holding him seemed fully capable of keeping him defenseless.

"I'm – I'm sorry everyone," the imposter sniffed (because _that could not be Hermione Granger_)."But – I can't stand it –" She moved as if to wipe her eyes, but the hold that Gawlish had on her wouldn't even allow for that much.

"That's right, that's right, girl!" Umbridge crowed, excitement gleaming terribly in her eye while throwing the witch into a chair. "Now then… with whom was Potter communicating just now?" She stood over her like a cat might a mouse, and Liana felt that, imposter or not, she truly pitied the witch in the chair.

"Well," she gulped, "well, she was _trying _to speak to Professor Dumbledore…"

"Dumbledore!" The other teens had frozen as it clicked. _She was tricking her. _"You know where Dumbledore is, then?" Her tone took on an almost uncontainable excitement. The Ministry had been searching under every nook and cranny since the elderly wizard had escaped them a few months ago, and of course the Minister's lapdog would simply _love_ to be the one to find him.

"Well… no!" sobbed Hermione – because it was Hermione _and not some stupid imposter _like Liana had suspected. "We've tried the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley and the Three Broomsticks and even the Hog's Head –"

"Idiot girl! Dumbledore won't be sitting in a pub when the whole Ministry's looking for him!" Her fury at being denied the knowledge she had been so close to getting was palpable, and Hermione buried her face into her hands.

"But – but we need to tell him something important!" she sobbed hysterically, all but crumpling to the floor in her panic and despair.

"Yes? What is it you wanted to tell him?" She bit at the statement like a dog with a bone. If she couldn't bring the Minister Dumbledore, Liana supposed, she could at least bring him information that was apparently important to the wizened old man.

"We… we wanted to tell him it's r-ready!"

"What's ready? What's ready, girl?" Umbridge's impatience was visibly thinning as her voice became tighter and she loomed even more creepily (Liana refused to call it intimidating. She was a pink toad, for goodness' sake!) over Hermione.

"The… the weapon."

"Weapon? Weapon? You have been developing some method of resistance? A weapon you could use against the Ministry? On Professor Dumbledore's orders, of course!" What did she think they were? Little soldiers? Liana bit her lip, deciding it may be better to leave the obviously mental woman (who would wear all one color? Especially _pink_) to form her own conclusions.

"Y-y-yes," Hermione gasped, shuddering. Liana had to commend her friend's acting skills. Perhaps she took lessons over the summer? "But he had to leave before it was finished and n-n-now we've finished it for him, and we c-can't find him t-t-to tell him!"

"What kind of weapon is it?"

"We don't r-r-really understand it." She sniffled again, looking around for a handkerchief despite the fact she wouldn't be able to use it. "We j-j-just did what P-P-Professor Dumbledore told us t-t-to do…"

"Lead me to the weapon," Umbridge demanded.

"I'm not showing… _them_," she refused. Liana glanced around and wholeheartedly agreed. If the Aurors were there, it was possible that whatever plan Hermione had come up with would collapse right in front of their eyes.

"It is not for you to set conditions," Umbridge said sweetly, almost threateningly.

"Fine, fine… let them see it, I hope they use it on you! In fact, I wish you'd invite loads and loads of people to come and see!" It made sense, Liana realized. Umbridge was, after all, a politician, and a rather disagreeable one at that. Surely she had enemies out there, and surely some of those enemies at relatives at Hogwarts. She was very impressed. It was almost as if Hermione was a Slytherin. "Th-that would serve you right – oh, I'd love it if the wh-whole school knew where it was, and how to u-use it, and then if you annoy any of them, they'll be able to s-sort you out!"

This greatly alarmed the pink woman, or at least enough to convince her to go along with the muggleborn's condition. "Alright, dear, let's make it just you and me… and we'll take Potter too, shall we? Get up, now."

The sniffling brunnette led them out onto the grounds, and Liana noticed she was taking them to the forest. "_You're a genius, Hermione."_

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><p>Everything seemed to freeze around her as Liana watched a jet of scarlet hit her godfather, just above his heart, and propelled him backwards and towards the dangerously mysterious veil. "<em>No. Don't fall. No!" <em>He seemed to be moving in slow motion, but she couldn't bring herself to move. Her body was frozen and would not listen to her.

Horror and shock dominated her mind as she watched, dreading what would inevitably happen yet unable to do anything about it. He was just about to pass through when she saw a black and white figure suddenly appeared behind him, pushing the ex-convict away from the arc as the he braced himself against an invisible wall between him and the whispering drapery.

It was her father.

"Bakudo 81: Danku." His voice seemed to echo off of the walls, and Liana felt her muscles loosen as she recognized that her godfather was out of death's reach.

"Father?" she whispered while at the same time struggling to get up. "What's he doing here?"

"Silly girl. I told you we'd be here! Or I would, at any rate." She jumped, adrenaline still racing through her bloodstream, and whirled around, looking up to see familiar golden eyes smiling down at her. "Now come on. Let's go beat some death eater arse."

She shook her head and blinked away her confusion, nodding as a determined look set on her face. Gathering together all of her energy and Gryffindor courage, she ran with her mentor as they fought their way through the death eaters and rushed through the center of Ministry, chasing after Bellatrix Lestrange.

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><p>Review!<p> 


	8. The Dragon and Phoenix

I do not own anything

So, this is probably one of my favorite chapters in this entire fic! Please enjoy!

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><p>Liana was shouting herself hoarse at her godfather's would-be-murderer, her mentor watching from her left. <em>"-he can't even hear you!"<em>

"Can't I, Potter?" a high pitched voice asked. Her heart suddenly dropped as she turned to see a hairless, snake-like man with blood red eyes. The death eaters appeared around them immediately, bowing, soon followed by the Order, who were clutching their wands while watching the newcomer warily.

"Dumbledore," he hissed. "At last, I have the chance to kill you… and your precious Girl-Who-Lived."

"I'm afraid you came for naught tonight, Tom," he said calmly. "For neither Liana nor I plan on dieing for a long while yet."

"Ah, but how can you protect her?" he sneered. "Tell me, Dumbledore, how can you protect her from one whom she, and her pet mudblood and blood traitor, trust?"

"No one in my Order is loyal to you," he proclaimed confidently.

"Perhaps… but this person is not in your Order," he smirked. Not bothering to acknowledge the old man's confusion, he hissed, "Come to me, my faithful servant."

The emerald eyed girl was confused. Someone they trusted, but not in the order? Who could it be? She trusted Mad-eye, Remus, Sirius, Tonks, McGonagall, and the Weasleys, but they were all either in the older or affiliated with it because they were underage. That left… oh no…

"Yes, my Lord." Liana felt a breeze suddenly converge at her left, and got a sickening feeling as a kneeling figure appeared at his side, a smirk on her face. "How may I serve you, my Lord?"

"Let's have a test of your skills… kill Albus Dumbledore."

"Yes, my Lord." She flickered away from sight and appeared in front of the elderly wizard, a malicious glint in her eyes as she pointed a single finger pointed at his abdomen. "Byakurai!"

Silver flashed as blood poured out of the headmaster's wound. The woman suddenly jumped back to avoid a blade, jerking her head back and narrowly avoiding getting her head chopped off. Growling, she turned to face her attacker.

"Liana," he said sharply, doing his best to lure the traitor away from the aging man, "Charms won't be able to help him. Use the healing kido! Quickly!" Much as he wanted to simply let the man die, he had an image to keep, as well.

"What?" Everything had been so sudden…

"Now!" She jumped at his tone and quickly obeyed, hurrying to him despite her confusion.

"So, is Byakuya-bo gonna stand up for all of those half bloods, blood traitors, and mudbloods?" she taunted. "I'm not surprised, being one yourself."

"I ask you to stop, Yoruichi," he said, hand shifting to rest on Senbonzakura's hilt. "Otherwise, I will have to ask the Sereitei for reinforcements."

"The Sereitei?" she snorted. "What could they do? A bunch of fools, they are, not to realize it. After all, there's only power, and those who are too weak to seek it."

"Perhaps you would prefer the Onmitsukido, then? Either way, you will be defeated." There was the scraping of metal as he drew his sword.

"Perhaps," she smirked as she drew her own blade. "I think I'll ask them to inform the Kuchiki family that their leader is _dead!"_ She shot forwards, too fast for the wizards to see properly, but in her reality, unbelievably slow.

"Why have you betrayed us?" he asked as they locked blades for the first time in their lives. "After all my father did to help you to survive even day-to-day life–" though he never knew why that was necessary "–to try and kill his granddaughter seems to be a rather poor way to repay him."

"I could say the same," she retorted. "The man who sired you did so much to save me, so why are you wasting his efforts?"

"To protect my daughter, of course. Unfortunately, I cannot understand the reasoning behind your actions."

"It's simple, really. Haven't I told you already? Just before your half blood daughter went back to school? The seeds have been planted, Kuchiki Byakuya, all I need to do now is to help the flowers bloom." She smirked and took her right hand from the blade, weakening her grip. Still, she didn't give it enough time to affect her. "Shakkaho!"

"Enkosen." The spinning yellow shield dissipated the fire. "Sokatsui."

She dodged. "Blood traitor you may be, but I think a fight like this is just an insult to my skills."

"What nonsense are you spewing now?" he asked. It wasn't likely it was nonsense. For the most part, everything she did and said was of some importance, it was all for a reason. She just veiled with random comments and silly behavior, or at the most serious times, riddles.

"Shikai, of course." She took the blade and twisted it, a maniacal grin on her face. "Purr for me, Tengoku no neko!"

His eyes widened momentarily as he took in her release for the first time, before returning to their usual size. "I see. So be it, then. Chire, Senbonzakura."

He slashed his hilt at her, sending the glowing petals rushing forward. Her yarn knitted itself around her as she flew towards him, resembling a torpedo. The metal shield broke as she swiped a metal claw at him, barely missing his head.

"Wait, Shihoin." She paused mid-strike at the hissed command. "Do you see now, Dumbledore? The shinigami you kidnapped twenty-five years ago? You abducted her to protect Hogwarts from Lord Voldemort and his death eaters, didn't you? How ironic she is now under my command."

"Ah, it seems that Lady Shihoin has wrongfully interpreted my intentions," he said calmly from where Liana was almost finished healing him.

"Permission to speak, my Lord?" she requested. At his nod, she continued, "I misinterpreted nothing, you stupid old codger. You had your staff break into my family home and render my parents defenseless. You had your Deputy try and separate me from a part of my soul. You changed none during my forced stay at Hogwarts, don't try to deny it. When my kohai was attacked, the first thing you asked me when I got back was 'When can you get back to duty?', despite me being emotionally distressed.

"A year later, when I had attempted _suicide_ in front of all of Gryffindor Tower, the first thing you asked was 'When will she be up?', not 'Will she be okay?' And, instead of worrying about the condition of a student who was clearly disturbed, and trying to help her out of it, you told me not to do it again _for the bloody press!"_ she snarled.

"And of course, there's the errors you made with the Potter family. I don't think I need to say much about that. Amelia Bones has more than enough evidence to prosecute you. There was absolutely _nothing_ to misinterpret, old man. The only thing to interpret was that you were willing to do anything for the 'Greater Good'. Even if it means sacrificing children, you will do whatever necessary to reach your goals. How ironic it is, the Leader of the Light, thought to be Gryffindor to the core, is actually more of a _Slytherin_at heart."

The reporters, who had been called in not long ago (as they wouldn't dare have the aurors go up against Voldemort himself, thus called the press so they could scream about it later), were eating it all up.

"Wonderful speech, Shihoin," the snake man complimented.

"Thank you, my Lord." She bowed. "I had been wanting to tell him as such since I first met him. Thank you for being so gracious as to allow me an opportunity."

"Resume your battle."

"Yes, my Lord." She turned back to the younger noble. "I'm afraid I'll have to speed things up a bit."

"Oh?" A few of his petals glowed brighter and swirled into one area, like a tornado.

A, lack of better term, purple samurai appeared. "[Try as much as you like, but you will not defeat my master.]"

"[And who are you, one who has never seen my mistress's full power, to say that?]" All of the shadows in the room seemed to gather at one point, forming a sleek cat as dark as the night, save for its crimson eyes. "[Why, this is the first time you've even seen her _blade_ before, much less her shikai.]"

"[Don't be so quick to speak, cat.]"

"[Do you have the capabilities to force me, samurai?]" the cat purred tauntingly. "[Do you believe that someone such you, who wears so much bulky armor and cares more for strength than speed, would be able to defeat me, a being made from the killers of the night; a being who believes in speed and agility more than anything else?]"

"[Shall we test that theory, feline with the grace of night?]"

"[I believe we shall, warrior of the falling sakuras.]"

"Hmm… I think they have the right idea, 'fighting to prove something'," Yoruichi smirked. "Between two warriors of similar backgrounds, why not make this a battle of family pride?"

"Are you saying you wish for me to risk the honor my ancestors have worked for millennium to build in a match for someone the likes of _you_?" he asked dubiously.

"Oh, no… that's not what I mean at all. Stupid man, do I need to spell it out for you?" she laughed. "Shihoin and Kuchiki, dragon and phoenix. You know what I mean, don't you?" At his incredulous look, she continued on. "The Shihoin family is charged with protecting artifacts that must never fall into the wrong hands, thus the dragon to represent the fiercest of guards. The Kuchiki family must keep the history of our people for all eternity, thus a phoenix to represent eternal life."

"Have you gone insane, Shihoin Yoruichi?" he growled. "Are you foolish enough to believe we can use the gifts bestowed upon us by our ancestors, that which has the essence of every single head of our families before us, as _weapons_?"

"I have been taught to use _anything_ as a weapon," she said as a means of explanation. "'Power and those who are too weak to seek it.' Weaklings will **die!"** He had to jump back as her reiatsu nearly tripled and a large, green Chinese dragon formed and lunged at him.

"Very well, then, it seems I **have no choice."** A majorly vamped up version of Dumbledore's familiar – that looked strangely similar to the Sokyoku – appeared and flew at the dragon. Soon enough, the creatures were engrossed in a brawl, just as the zanpakuto were clashing beneath them.

The wizards could only watch in awe as the spirits tried again and again to cut each other down – each representing their wielder's souls and determined not to loose – and the beasts wrestled for dominance – both of them representing the pride of a powerful family and wanting to prove itself over the other. Their masters watched from opposite sides of the ministry-turned-battleground.

**"Now there's no holding back. I will kill you here, Kuchiki Byakuya, and my master will kill your daughter,"** she declared.

**"You will not kill anyone, least of all me or my daughter," **he said. **"And if either of us were to die, then Sereitei would immediately send reinforcements to defeat both you and your master."**

**"Are you still such a fool to believe they will come to your aid? Even after Yamamoto brought me back in my first year, the fool Dumbledore convinced both him and my parents to force me back! They abandon their own when in Britain, Kuchiki, they will not lift a finger when you and your daughter die." **She smirked suddenly, **"You know, I never told them."**

**"Told them? Told who what?" **he asked sardonically.

**"That I lied when I owled the Prophet about your wife. She wasn't even a mudblood."** His eyes widened when he realized where she was going with this. **"She was even worse than that! You, then the only heir of a proud noble family, sullied your bloodline in the worst way possible! You, Kuchiki Byakuya, are the very definition of a blood traitor, such is anyone who has ever married a _muggle!"_**

He bit back his anger ignored her jab, reminding himself that he had heard much worse from the other nobility,

"Enough bickering, Shihoin," Voldemort snapped irritably. "Kill him!"

**"Yes, my Lord!"** She lunged towards him, the single jump propelling her twenty feet forward. She swiped her blade at his chest as his eyes widened and tried to dodge. It was no use. Life left his gray eyes as blood spurted in a crimson fountain and his body fell forward with all the resistance of a leaf in a tornado.

"Father!" Liana shouted. Remus held her back as she tried to run towards the bloody scene. "Let me go! Let me go!" she shrieked.

"Let that be a lesson," Voldemort called to the assembled crowd. "Do not cross Lord Voldemort, and do not try and protect Liana Potter. Anyone who does, will die." He laughed maniacally as he turned and apparated, his death eaters following soon after.

Yoruichi was the last to leave. She looked directly at her former comrades with a stony expression before closing her eyes. She turned on the spot and disappeared as a whisper crossed the room. "Gomen ne, Kuro-san."

The assembled crowd of wizards and witches could only stare as the large hall suddenly fell silent, save for Liana's grunts of protests as she struggled against her werewolf captor.

Luna pulled out a muggle pen and experimentally dropped it onto the hard tile floor, listening as the clattering sound echoed around the room.

No sooner had she done that, the bloody form of Byakuya Kuchiki started to move, pushing himself off of the ground and standing as regally as ever, as if the blood dripping off of his clothing wasn't even there.

"Father!" Liana finally managed to squirm free of Remus' grip and ran towards him.

"I always knew she'd turn on us," Sirius muttered as he glared at the spot where Yoruichi had been standing.

"I wouldn't be so sure, Lord Black," Byakuya said as he headed towards him, ignoring the pain he was in. "What she said before she apparated… it translates directly into 'I am sorry, Mr. Black.' Knowing her, it was an apology for the way she has acted all of these years."

He sighed, almost imperceptibly, as he glanced towards the destroyed Ministry. "She was against us today because she loathed Professor Dumbledore and resented me for, in her mind, ruining my father's name by acting so completely opposite of him, when we look startlingly alike. She holds no grudge against you, I believe."

"So… she joined the death eaters because… she didn't like Dumbledore, and because she's mad at you?" The dog animagus shook his head, completely ignoring the implications of her words. "That woman is mental."

"Quite." Even she didn't deny that. In fact, she seemed to take pride in it. "And yet, that sort of behavior is completely expected of her."

Liana was quiet. She didn't think that was the entire reason.

Yoruichi… the woman who had taken on the role of both a mother and a sister… the woman who had comforted her late at night, explained things which had confused her, taught her new things… how could she do this to her?

"_I want you to remember the witch you see now and to swear to follow your heart."_

This was probably the thing she had been talking about… but… she had said it was for her family.

"_There are some things that must be done to win a war. Most people don't have the guts or intelligence to do them; that is why it's fallen onto my family__ "_

She smiled faintly, out of the notice of everyone but her father. It seemed Yoruichi Shihoin wasn't as much of a traitor as she led the them to believe.


	9. Horcrux Hunting

I do not own anything

We wish you a Merry Christmas~

We wish you a Merry Christmas~

We wish you a Merry Christmas~

And a Happy New Year~!

I just thought of something… if Harry had dreams about Voldemort because he was a horcrux, did Nagini have them as well?

* * *

><p>The following summer, Ron and Hermione weren't staying at the Kuchiki's again, but they did floo, send owls, and cast patronuses often. All three members of the Golden Trio were glad that Yoruichi had taught them how to remove the Trace before she had left. During the school year, they had successfully removed the Trace on every wand in the DA.<p>

Liana was getting Patronuses from the other DA members as well. The majority of them were asking about the 'shinigami' thing, as it had been grossly publicized in the Prophet. The few who weren't had poorly hidden curiosity etched into the words.

She honestly didn't know the answer to any of their questions.

She was now trying to work on her Charms homework, but found she didn't have any more answers for her homework than she did for her friends and classmates.

"Is something the matter?" She looked up to see her father standing in the doorway. He was in robes, she noticed, instead of the black kimono and white coat he had been wearing when he fought Yoruichi.

She looked away. "Everyone keeps asking me about shinigami." She had received at least one owl from everyone in the DA so far, and a patronus from everyone in it who lived in a wizarding household. "I don't even understand what a shinigami is."

"The word shinigami means 'Death God," he said after a moment's silence, sounding as though he had resigned himself to saying this. "The Sereitei, where both Yoruichi and I were born and raised, is where the shinigami live."

"Death… god?" She paled. That sounded way too similar to death eaters for her liking.

"Yes. However, we are nothing like Riddle's malevolent followers. Death eaters are more similar to the demons we fight than they are to us."

"Demon?" Her father fought _demons_?

"Shinigami have two basic duties. The first is to guide souls to the afterlife, which we call the Soul Society. If left for too long, the souls lose their hearts and become monsters called hollows, who devour each other and other, purer souls in order to fill their emptiness." He waited patiently as it processed.

"So… you and Yoruichi come from somewhere called Sereitei, and you take souls to the afterlife or they'll turn into something like a dementor?" she asked, brow furrowed.

"Yes. The second duty of the shinigami is to exorcise the hollows. Our zanpakutos – our swords – cleanse them of the sins they have committed as a hollow, and send them to the Soul Society."

"Where's this 'Sereitei' place?" If she was going to live there one day, she wanted to know more about it.

"It is directly in the middle of the Soul Society."

"…" Her eyes widened as the information mixed with previous knowledge, and the implications sank in. "I'm _dead_?"

"No," he said sharply, startled she would come to such a conclusion. "You may have been born as a soul, but you are certainly not dead. The only difference between being a shinigami and a human is that we do not have physical bodies that most muggles can see, something that can be easily rectified by the use of a gigai, or faux body. In exchange for that, we have access to a more in-depth version of magic – which we call reiryoku, or spiritual energy – and live much longer life spans."

"How long?"

He was silent for a moment. "I do not know the average lifespan, as shinigami rarely die of old age. However, I was born in the year of 1770."

She felt somewhat light-headed at that. He was practically telling her they were immortal.

"I guess this explains why I couldn't tell my friends about anything," she said weakly.

"And now it is even more prudent that you do not, now that the Wizarding World knows of our heritage," he said firmly.

She nodded dazedly as she struggled to understand the full situation.

Her father looked slightly alarmed when the sound of the floo started. Their only floo connection was to Grimmauld Place, and, on top of having a password, no one was allowed to go back and forth unless it was an emergency.

"Prongslette?" she heard a voice shout. "Oy!"

"Sirius?" She ran downstairs to see him and Remus, the latter looking rather exasperated. Her father followed quickly, knowing the men wouldn't mean any harm, but cautious of the new attitude the Wizarding World had of him, and by extension, his daughter.

"Sorry for the intrusion," the werewolf said apologetically, "but Sirius wouldn't take no for an answer."

"Being concerned for one's goddaughter is perfectly understandable," he replied, but still watched them apprehensively.

While his friend noticed this, the Azkaban escapee did not. "Thank Merlin you're alright… The Order's a mess. Amelia Bones got an arrest warrant and Dumbledore's in Azkaban! Dunno what she was thinking – how are we supposed to win the war without Dumbledore? And Kreacher, the mad elf, he's been stealing the things we've been trying to bin. Last thing he took was some locket – stupid old portrait claims it belonged to Slytherin and hasn't shut up since, screeching something about traitorous transformers, though for some reason he left a cat doll in its place…"

"A locket that belongs to Salazar Slytherin?" He had seen something about it in the reports on Riddle he had looked at, as well as a few of Yoruichi's old notes he had stumbled across. "How interesting…" He somehow doubted it was the elf.

"Yeah. Also, Mad-eye's been looking around – all of Voldemort's horcruxes have disappeared, no sign of what happened."

"Horcrux? What's a horcrux?" Liana didn't know if she was up to taking in any more information, but she was curious in spite of it.

"It's an object that contains a portion of one's soul…" He trailed off, glancing at his daughter. "Stand still, Liana."

"Huh?" She didn't move, though, as her father brought a hand up to her fringe, brushing it away and paused his hand in front of where her scar would've been, if not for the make up. It hovered there for a moment before he swept it towards the wall. A black, rotting chain suddenly appearing, attached directly to her forehead.

"Bloody-" Sirius swore. "What in Merlin's name is that?"

"It seems it is as I suspected," he frowned. "He must have made her into a Horcrux the night Lily and James Potter were killed. This chain is that connection."

"What are you going to do?" Remus asked as Liana stared, cross-eyed, in horror at the disgusting thing.

"Destroy it, of course." Senbonzakura was quickly unsheathed and now rested in his hand.

"Wait, what?" His alarm was evident in his voice, but went unnoticed as the Kuchiki lord swung down at the chain. The moment it had been severed, the rotted link dissolved into black nothingness.

"Amazing," the werewolf whispered.

"Are you alright, Liana?" Her father's voice took on a gentler tone as he helped her onto a chair.

"I-I've had a piece of Voldemort's soul in me since I was _one_?" Dear Merlin, she certainly wasn't expecting _that_.

"Calm down. It's been destroyed – there's no point in thinking of it anymore," he ordered gently. "In a state of warfare, we cannot afford to waste time by thinking on things of such little consequence."

"You speak like you've seen a lot of war," Remus commented uneasily. He spoke was in a detached, analytical way; something he had only seen with war veterans who had suffered through battle after battle. He sounded as wise as Dumbledore did.

"I was raised for it," he said simply before frowning. "As was Yoruichi Shihoin, but she was trained for a much more lethal kind of battle than I was. Should you ever find yourself in battle against her, it would be in your best interest to flee. I doubt either of you would like to fight a trained assassin who is literally the fastest thing in existence." The two gryffindors glanced at each other, having heard that once before, twenty-six years ago.

"I'm a Gryffindor," Sirius proclaimed. "Running away is something a Hufflepuff'd do, not a Gryffindor."

"I do not understand your House system," he said. "Gryffindors are brave, you say? What is bravery without intelligence? What do you stand to gain with your bravery? Who or what are you so loyal to, you would face danger for it? That system seems to lack real thought."

"The House system has been in place since Hogwarts was first founded a thousand years ago," Remus argued. "You can't just put it down like that."

"Can't I? What obligation do I have to protect a system I do not agree with? Regardless of how old some ideals are, they can be twisted over time to the point where they do nothing but harm." Look at the Slytherins and how they were treated by the rest of the school. It was no wonder why so many of them went dark.

"But the House system can't hurt people!" Sirius exclaimed, refusing to lose faith in the thing that had helped bring him his best friends. "It can't!"

"I do not know how you can believe that. It is possible for one to possess all four House traits, yet you shun those who do." He never really understood the point of that one. "I do not understand it."

"A brave Slytherin," Sirius snorted. "Is that what you're saying? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"There is a young man with whom the Sereitei works closely with," Byakuya said. "He is very easily the one who saved the existence of literally everything. He possesses ambition, intelligence, loyalty, and bravery."

"So?"

"In him, all of the house qualities are all intertwined. His loyalty to his friends and family gave him the ambition to strive for enough power to protect them with, and gave him the bravery to risk his life for them. Until he found a way to gain that power, he gained intelligence to try to find a way. Do you believe it was wrong for him to have those traits?"

"I dunno. I don't even know the guy!"

"No, you don't," he said softly, "but you do know a man named Regulus Arcturus Black, correct? Your younger brother, if my sources are accurate."

Remus' eyes widened as Sirius froze at the mention of his late brother.

"What about him?" he said gruffly, staring resolutely at the wall. "He was a death eater to the core, not to mention mummy and daddy's favorite son."

"Ah, but you are wrong, Lord Black. I have, in fact, met young Master Regulus, and read several reports on his actions just before his untimely demise." He seemed like a generally pleasant, if not guilty young man.

Liana looked between the two men in confusion. Who was Regulus? She never knew Sirius had a brother…

"Like I said. Death eater to the core."

"I beg to differ. What the reports said are far different from what you believe. Your younger brother learned the error of his ways and regretted them when he was still under the Dark Lord's rule, and tried to repent for them to the best of his ability." Gray met blue as he continued. "In the year of 1979, Regulus Arcturus Black died by the hand of Tom Marvolo Riddle after he hid the very locket you have lost within his home."

Sirius was silent for a moment before grunting and looking away. "Trying to protect it for Voldemort, I bet."

He sighed. The man was as stubborn as a mule. He focused on calming down before speaking, "In any case, fighting amongst ourselves is doing little good. How many of these does he have?" This, of course, was referring to the horcruxes.

"Er…" Sirius said, "Mad-eye said he had had seven, including Liana, but some diary was destroyed three years ago, so it should be five now."

"Whoever is moving these will have difficulty destroying them," he stated. "It takes a great deal of power to even withstand its presence."

"I feel bad for that sucker," he said sympathetically… sort of.

"There may no be need to be," he said dismissively. "If my assumptions are correct, it is very possible that the one removing these wretched things is quite capable of destroying them in one attack."

"What are your assumptions?"

He glanced at the werewolf. "I believe that someone from the Sereitei might have received permission to gather them and use one of our more… vicious spells to destroy them."

"Do you know who this person might be?" Remus questioned. With Dumbledore gone, they could use as much help as they could.

"Perhaps," he said vaguely before changing the subject. "But I'm afraid I am much too busy trying to ensure it will be safe enough for my daughter to return to Hogwarts this year to help you with your theories. I will not have her missing her education."

"How are you going to do that?" he frowned. "The Wizarding World is very stubborn and wary of anything they don't understand, especially shinigami. How are you going to make sure of that?"

"The Wizarding World may be stubborn, but it also naïve," he stated. "I have found that wizards and witches believe everything they read in the Daily Prophet, and I know for a fact that Miss Granger has a very prominent reporter wrapped around her finger."

"You're going to use the press," he nodded slowly. It made a lot of sense, after all, politicians did it all the time, and aristocracy was _always _involved with politics.

He just hoped this plan would be successful.

* * *

><p>Happy Birthday to me<p>

Happy Birthday to me!

Happy Birthday dear meee~

Happy Birthday to me~!

...

No really, how many people realized that today's my b-day?

Heh heh, I copied that directly off of the chapters in Shinigami at Hogwarts I put up last year…

If anyone is interested in beta-ing this story, please contact me. I'd like to make sure this story is as good as possible.


	10. Power of the Press

I do not own anything

Happy New Year's Eve! (does that even make sense?)

I can't believe 2011 is about to end...

Also, happy birthday to our favorite geta-boushi! Hapi Basudei, Urahara-san!

* * *

><p>A week after the wayward visit, Liana and her father left for a press interview. It had been scheduled to be at Gringotts at noon. Liana had spent the past couple of hours being bored and speaking with their shinigami 'escorts', as apparently, someone had decided it would make a good impression on the wizards or something. For security purposes, their identities wouldn't be revealed unless absolutely necessary, as the wizards might be able to dig up something about their lives in the World of the Living and use it against them. To help with that, they were wearing black maskveil/hats that she was told was an altered version of the ones the Correctional Force wore (whatever that meant).

At eleven thirty, the fifteen-almost-sixteen year old followed closely behind her father to the goblin run bank, their guards trailing a bit behind her. He bowed slightly at the goblins before ushering them into a room.

"Do not say a word unless I allow you to," he said, somewhat harshly to their escorts. "It would reflect badly upon us if the two of you were to appear unprofessional.

The shorter of the two, a woman, nodded promptly. "Yes, Kuchiki-taicho."

The other, a man, followed suit, obviously newer to this than his partner.

He watched the two carefully before, to their relief, deciding they were sincere and would not disobey him. He turned to his daughter. "Whatever you do, Liana, do _not_ lose your temper with them. As you know, the press is brutal, and will look for whatever chance they can to ruin this." He didn't want to take any chances.

"Yes, Father," she said quietly. She certainly didn't want a repeat of last summer when the papers had said all of those awful things about her…

When twelve finally came, there were eight people in the room, other than the four spirits (including Liana). Rufus Scrimgeour, who had replaced Fudge as Minister of Magic, and Dolores Umbridge were there, along with a wizard in auror robes standing not too far from them. Rita Skeeter and what was supposedly her cameraman was seated in the middle of the seats. Another woman, probably another reporter, and a man with a camera were to her right. At the left side of the room was Luna Lovegood, humming softly to herself and playing with the camera that dangled from her neck.

Griphook knocked on the door and poked his head inside. "It's noon time. The Head Teller thought you would like to know, Minister," he sneered before shutting the door again.

He didn't waste any time in zeroing in on the one who had called for this entire thing (AKA Byakuya).

"Why did you call all of us here, _shinigami_," he sneered giving an unwitting imitation of the goblin that had just seen them in.

He raised an eyebrow. "Pardon me if I am wrong, Minister, but I was under the impression that you and the Wizarding World would like to have more details upon the circumstances surrounding my and my daughter's ancestry and presence in magical Britain. It was for that reason I asked for yourself and these reporters to attend this gathering."

"Who would we be allowed to ask questions to, Lord Kuchiki?" Luna asked dreamily, staring intently at the hooded male and ignoring Minister Scrimgeour's indignity.

"As my daughter has yet to understand very much of Japanese culture, much less the shinigami's ideals and reasons for being, I am afraid I shall be answering the majority of the questions, Miss Lovegood," he said seamlessly. "I would like to ask that you allow these two," he gestured to the hooded two, "to remain silent, unless you have been given their names. Names hold a great deal of importance withing our society, and the majority of their reason for being here is to ensure that nothing threatens my daughter, as she is the only heir of the Great Kuchiki Clan." The other reason was to gape at the Wizarding World like they were Alice in Wonderland.

"Rita Skeeter, The Daily Prophet. Very nice to meet you, Lord Kuchiki," the vicious blond woman said immediately, quill poised above her notepad. "Why is it, that after hundreds of years of hiding from the Magical World, the shinigami decide to reveal themselves now?"

"I could ask the same about the Magical World concealing itself from the Muggle World, Miss Skeeter," he said calmly. "The reason for this is quite simple. The shinigami are very displeased with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. On top of that, the Kuchiki family is one of the most prominent noble families we have, and as Liana is our only heir, Yoruichi Shihoin and I have temporarily taken up residence in England in order to train her in the ways of our people," he frowned slightly, "or so I thought."

"What is your opinion on her treacherous actions?" the woman asked eagerly. "What do you think is her reasoning for turning against all of us?"

He closed his eyes. "If I am to be completely frank, then I will say that her actions are not completely unexpected. Yoruichi and my late father were rather close friends when he was alive, and she often says he saved her life in some way – multiple times, if I am correct. At the time of his death, my mother was overwhelmed with grief." He paused and made sure he had a tight rein on his emotions. "She committed suicide a few days later. Yoruichi was close to both of them, looking up to them as mentors and confidants, and was devastated when they both died.

"I cannot remember very much of what happened, as I was the human equivalent of only four years old, but I was told she was terribly ill and bedridden for nearly six months. However, I remember hearing my grandfather speaking with her father. They had said that her best friend, Kisuke Urahara, had found her in her room the day after my mother died. She was unconscious and her wrists were bleeding heavily, and that a letter had been found next to her. I do not know any more of what happened that day.

"My father and I look incredibly alike. My grandfather has said on countless occasions that, perhaps, if I was a bit of a more cheerful person, no one would be able to tell the difference between us. I believe that she resents me for ruining his memory by looking so much like the man she had looked up to, and yet acting so completely opposite of him.

"Also, twenty-six years ago, I woke up on July 31st to my colleagues running about in a panic. I was told that Yoruichi had been kidnapped in the night by a man the size of a house. A month later, on September 1st, our captain commander, Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, returned with her from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, saying that the man who had abducted her had simply been following orders, and had no knowledge of why, simply what. The man who gave these orders was Mr. Albus Dumbledore." He gave a slight sneer when saying the name. "However, just as soon as she had returned, Yamamoto-sotaicho, as well as her parents, had been convinced to allow her, or rather force her, to return to Hogwarts as an undercover agent to protect the students from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Every summer and winter holiday, she would whine and complain over having to attend the school, always saying if it weren't for the friends she had made, she would have gone mad. She was always upset with Mr. Dumbledore, saying it was his fault she was, and I quote, 'a prisoner in that wretched school, his eyes watching me constantly and trying to control every move I make.'"

Even Luna was scribbling furiously at this.

"In her fifth year, my grandfather took pity on her, and so sent me there in hopes of cheering her up." To this day, he didn't see the sense in that. "When she was in class that day, I was attacked. Two death eaters were in the castle – why, I do not know, but they were speaking of a prophecy someone named Trelawny had spoken – and found me listening to them. They cast the Killing Curse and fled. It obviously did not kill me, but it caused excruciating pain." The kind of which he never wanted to endure again.

"That was how she found me later on. I am not fully aware of what happened, but despite everything, Yoruichi had, up until this point, been a pure soul. She had felt horribly guilty for what had happened, and blamed herself for it. Thus, for some odd reason, she spent part of the summer in Albus Dumbledore's summer home with Lord Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. The three of them had an odd fall out, the details of which are denied to me, and she became an entirely different person when she returned home. I suppose she really did go mad."

"I remember writing an article on an exchange student at Hogwarts attempting suicide that year," Skeeter said, Quick Notes Quill flashing across her notepad. "Would this have anything to do with her?"

He was silent for a moment before nodding. "Unfortunately, yes. She copied the actions she had taken when my parents died, and attempted to kill herself by cutting open her wrists. I accompanied her parents to the Hogwarts Hospital Wing, as I had been having tea with them at the time they received the missive. When she awoke, one of the first things Mr. Dumbledore had said to her was that she had worried the school, which she said was highly doubtful later on, and that it would have aroused the attention of the press by that point, before scolding her for attempting to 'take control of her life' in such a dramatic way. The next thing he said was, rather than being concerned for her physical and mental health, was an inquiry as to when she would be released from the Hospital Wing, when she had attempted to kill herself not even an hour before.

"Yoruichi Shihion may have other reasons for defecting to the Dark side," he concluded, somewhat softly, "but those two are the most clear to me."

Liana glanced somewhat worriedly at her father. She didn't understand why he had explained in such great detail, but she was sure those memories were probably some of the worst personal experiences he had.

The reporters were eating it all up.

Luna stood up. "Luna Lovegood, the Quibbler. It's nice to meet you after learning so much from Liana, Lord Kuchiki," she smiled oddly. "I was wondering, if they're so upset with You-Know-Who's actions, why do the shinigami choose now to involve themselves in our war? Why not the first one? And do you think that maybe Lady Yoruichi had encountered a thestral and her decision was influenced by it?"

"The shinigami are normally not allowed to interfere with the events of the World of the Living, however, the shinigami are also not allowed to interfere with the noble families unless they are undoubtedly breaking the law," he said, giving the barest description he could manage. "Using that loophole, I came to the World of the Living using a passageway exclusive to the Kuchikis in order to retrieve my daughter from the Dursleys. Of course, Liana is greatly involved in the wizarding war and had already started her education at Hogwarts. The shinigami have been trying to find a way to interfere to help destroy He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named since the first war, but our government refused to allow us. Liana's connection to us gave us the chance to do something. As for thestrals… she has encountered several of them before, but I doubt they have anything to do with this decision."

The blond witch hummed as she wrote his answer down.

"How does the Wizarding World know it can trust you shinigamis?" Scrimgeour asked impatiently.

"Do you not think it is logical for two groups to work together against a common enemy, Minister?" he asked rhetorically. "Also, I would not take Liana from the first place where she belonged, at least without it being safe enough so that perhaps she would be able to return someday."

The unfamiliar witch stood up. "Laura Orre from Witch Weekly, Lord Kuchiki," she said. "You seem to care very much for your daughter, but sources describe you as a very cold man. Care to explain?"

"Despite whatever the public believes, I _do _care for my family, Miss Orre," he said coolly. "Especially when said family is one of the only things I have of my late wife."

"The shinigami and the wizards have been at odds for centuries," Scrimgeour protested, reinstating himself into the conversation. "The shinigami have destroyed our ghosts every chance they had! How does the Wizarding World know you will not turn on us during or after this war?" he demanded.

"Destroy your ghosts, you say?" he asked softly, feeling his carefully constructed self control crumble in his irritation of this man's foolishness. "I am afraid you are mistaken, Minister. Unless they are such as those awful dementors your Ministry employs, the only way shinigami can do anything that would 'destroy' a spirit would be to give them a bloody death, such as stabbing them through the stomach and allowing them to bleed to death, as it _is_ possible so long as you have the ability. I ask you, Minister Scrimgeour, are you quite sure that what you are speaking of is in any way similar?"

"Then tell me this, where do the ghosts go?" he asked, eyes long since narrowed and lips curled in a sneer.

"They go to the Soul Society, the afterlife, where they will be able to live a much freer existence than they would staying here as intangible shadows," he replied. "They will be able to touch the things around them, and eat as well. They will be able to work, or read, or whatever it is they please, rather than floating along helplessly, watching as life goes on before them, as their only permanent companions are those who are trapped in this world as they are."

"The ghosts are here because they fear the afterlife," he stated. "Why do you send them there, then?"

"They fear for naught," he said. "Unless they have an abnormal fear of ancient Japanese society, or hard work and labor, they are simply wasting their time here in the World of the Living."

"Japanese? So you are a foreigner, as well?" This man's distrust was as deep as an ocean, and hadn't that been established a long time ago? "Even less reason to trust you."

"The shinigami do not make a habit of forcing our men to fight their own people," he said coldly.

"What do you mean? No wizard worth their wand would become a shinigami," he snapped.

"It would not be wise, Minister," he said, ever so softly, "to spit on the name of the dead. I am sure that you would be surprised to know that very many wizards and witches aspire to become shinigami after their mortal bodies have perished. In fact, I do believe I recall seeing a James and Lily Potter on the roster of the Shino Academy."

"Oh, my," Laura Orre whispered excitedly to herself as she continued scratching down notes.

"However, the Minister does have a point. I cannot guarantee that some of my colleagues will not attack you, as, most unfortunately, some of those in our ranks are mindless brutes who do not care about who their opponent is so long as they are strong," he said distastefully.

"In spite of that, our head captain, who is our version of the Minister of Magic, you could say, is willing to fight beside the magical community in order to defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and bring Yoruichi Shihoin back to her senses. Afterward, our own laws would demand for us to leave the Wizarding World alone, and, aside from Liana's visits with her school friends, the shinigami will cease any and all contact with you."

"So, you will help us with this war, and then leave?" Luna asked sadly. "Too bad… I was hoping you might be able to help me and Daddy find a live Crumple Horned Snorkack."

"I am afraid I do not know of such a creature, Miss Lovegood," he replied.

"I'll tell him later, Luna," Liana said hurriedly so her friend wouldn't start with her wild explanations again.

"Alright," she smiled dazedly.

"Any more questions?" he asked.

The press seemed to be much too busy writing down the information and jotting down random theories they had, and the Ministry officials were distracted by attempting to regain their composure. The guards (all three of them) were ordered silent, and thus didn't speak.

"If that is all, then I'm afraid I have some business to take care of. It was a pleasure to meet you all, Minister, Miss Lovegood, Miss Orre, and Miss Skeeter. Good day." He inclined his head slightly before rising and leaving the room.

Liana couldn't be sure, but as they were heading back to the Leaky Cauldron, she could have sworn she heard her father say something about hating reporters.

~oOo~

"Hopefully that will keep the wizards from doubting us too much," he commented as they flooed back home.

"_Home," _she thought happily. _"I have a home."_

She quickly pushed away the thought, answering, "Hermione can blackmail Rita so I think we're safe."

"Possibly the only time I will approve of blackmail." He gave her a stern look.

"It's not my fault!" she exclaimed. "Hermione didn't even tell us until she caught her red handed!"

"Perhaps… I take it you understand the reasons behind Yoruichi's betrayal?" he asked.

"It has something to do with her family, right?" she guessed.

"Yes," he sighed. "While those stories I told the reporters were true, and she does loathe Albus Dumbledore, she could never have such bad feelings towards the Kuchiki Family, not after what my father did for her. I believe that she thinks of me as a younger brother – no matter how much she irritates me – and you as a daughter or favorite niece."

Liana smiled in remembrance of the undercover woman. "I think of her like that too. Why did she leave, though? I get it's because of her family but I don't know any more than that."

"The Shihoin Family is traditionally members of the Stealth Force, or Onmitsukido," he said. "The Onmitsukido is made up of messengers, spies, and assassins."

"Assassins?" Her eyes widened.

"Yes. Yoruichi has been trained in their ways since birth, and it is the duty of the Shihoin family to aid the Gotei 13 in our battles, but acting from the enemy's stronghold. It was the orders sent by the sotaicho last year, just after we brought you here," he explained. "The sotaicho understood that, as it was a rescue mission to protect the heir of the Kuchiki family, it was a noble affair and something the Gotei 13 could not control. He also knew that I would not bring you back to the Sereitei, at least until you have finished your business here. We have known for a while that Riddle has regained a corporeal body, and the head of the Department of Research and Development was researching possible ways to defeat him while obeying our laws when he came across you. The orders sent to Yoruichi and myself told us that we are to act as the Onmitsukido does in a 'Code Brown: Living World', which she explained as going undercover. Right now, I am the Light side's informant to the Sereitei, and she is the Dark side's. When the time comes, she will kill Riddle."

"So the prophecy…" Dumbledore had told her of it after the battle at the Ministry. Her father had been there as well, but he hadn't reacted at all.

"Is false," he said calmly. "What the Wizarding World views as prophecies are only nonsense spouted from a fool who has been breathing too much incense. I will concede that Seers exist, but the only prophecies that are true are self-fulfilled through free will or manipulation."

"So I _don't_ need to defeat him," she muttered, "but that's what they all expect me to do."

"Give them a front," he said, as though it were obvious. "Show them an act. You were nearly sorted into Slytherin, the house of the cunning. Use the skills of deception the Sorting Hat recognized in you. Act as though you are preparing to fight him, but know that I will sooner kill myself with my own zanpakuto than allow you to do such a thing. You will be preparing to fight the war, but you will leave eliminating Riddle to someone who has more experience in assassination."

"Yes, Father." She _really_ didn't want to become a murderer anyway.

"Come." He placed a hand on her shoulder and led her towards the training room. "I want for you to learn some of the secrets of the Kuchiki family."

* * *

><p>If anyone is interested in beta-ing this story, please contact me. I'd like to make sure this story is as good as possible.<p> 


	11. Shadows of the Past

I do not own anything

The first chapter of 2012! Let's hope the world doesn't end this year...

This chapter is like, waaay too long, but I couldn't really find a place in the middle to split it up.

* * *

><p>Liana's birthday came and went, but only with a small party consisting of the Weasleys, Sirius, Remus, Hermione, Neville, and Luna. Of course, between the twins and the Marauders, it was guaranteed to be fun, if not chaotic.<p>

It seemed as though the last month of Liana's second-to-last summer vacation was going to be fine when one of the most unexpected things happened.

Her father silently handed her a letter before breakfast, having already read a similar one for himself.

'_Dear Miss Potter,'_ it read, _'Death Eaters have unexpectedly attacked Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. Due to the fact that a few of its residents are your relatives, the Ministry of Magic has asked you temporarily house Messrs and Mrs. Dursley until they may return to their place of residence._

_Please have a nice day.  
>Department of Magical Families<br>Christopher Enoch'_

"They _can't_ be serious," she said incredulously. "Don't they know I _hate_ the Dursleys?"

"They know," her father said calmly, "and they are using that. Most likely, Scrimgeour is using this as a way to see if the shinigami will cooperate with the wizards. To deny something as trivial as a family member's housing would bring unease about us."

"So we have to do it?" she whined. She had long since learned to understand her father's formal speech.

"Yes. They shall be here with what remains of their possessions at ten o'clock tomorrow," he informed her. Being that he was her guardian, the Ministry had given him significantly more information.

"Great," she grumbled. "I thought I'd gotten rid of them!"

"Simply because they are staying here does not mean you have to interact with them," he commented. "You can avoid or ignore them all you like. And should they do anything to harm you, I give you permission to do whatever you like to the one at fault, so long as it isn't permanent."

She grinned wickedly at the thought. Fred and George had given her a bunch of things from Zonko's as well as some of their own products.

"_But_," he said sharply, "I do not want you to give them mayhem for barely or no reason."

She pouted.

"Liana…"

"Yes, Father," she said sadly.

He sighed. "Yoruichi has had too much of an influence on you."

"No," she protested. "It's Padfoot and Moony too."

He simply shook his head.

~oOo~

The next day came entirely too quickly for Liana's liking, and she soon found it to be ten o'clock. But it wasn't a clock or a servant (human or house elf alike) that told her the time, but her Uncle Vernon's shouting.

She had been stroking Hedwig in the front garden when, outside of her notice, her father opened the front gates, revealing Dedalus Diggle, Hestia Jones, and the Dursleys on the other side.

"You!" the whale of a man shouted, pointing porky finger at him. "You're the one that came last summer and took the freak!"

"It is a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Dursley," he said, ignoring the outburst. "Thank you for taking the time to bring them here, Mr. Diggle, Mrs. Jones."

"Oh, it was no trouble, Lord Kuchiki," Diggle squeaked. "I rather enjoyed it."

His companion obviously disagreed and stopped him from continuing. "I think they're waiting for us back at Headquarters, Dedalus. Please say hello to your daughter for me, Lord Kuchiki."

"Of course. Good day, Mrs. Jones, Mr. Diggle." He inclined his head slightly as the gates closed.

The second the two of them had disapparated, his demeanor changed. "Neither I nor my daughter wish for you to be here," he said coldly, stopping Vernon before he could start yelling, "and are only allowing you three o stay here out of 'the goodness of our hearts'." He sneered the last part, something the couple had told his daughter several times during her childhood.

"If any of you feel remorse for what you've done to Liana, you are free to try and repent for your actions, but otherwise, I would thank you to make yourselves scarce. Any rooms you are not permitted to enter will have barriers over the doorways. Cause any trouble and I will know." His 'I don't like you' air disappeared, quickly replaced by his normal indifference. "A house elf has already brought your things to your rooms. Rika will show you there." A meek servant girl dipped her head from behind him. "Lunch will be at noon. Please do not be late."

Liana snickered as her uncle swore creatively, angered that he had to live in a 'freak's' house. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

~oOo~

Lunch was and odd affair. With her father at the head of the table and her at the foot ("Because he's the head of the family and you're the oldest female," Draco had explained), the Dursleys were stuck between the two. Vernon was seated at her father's right ("The second-most-important seat," he had said pompously. Her father, unfortunately, could not argue as he was the eldest male of the Dursleys) and Petunia across from him, Dudley sitting at his father's right.

At first, the Dursleys hadn't recognized her as the girl they had abused just a year before. Nutrition and growth potions had worked wonders, as she had quickly caught up with the rest of her age group in height and body development, and was now she was maturing quite nicely. Dudley had even had to nerve to _flirt_ with her, making her nauseous until her father had made a sarcastic comment about incest and his sick taste in women before asking if he sought after his mother as well. He had quickly backed off after that.

The meal was completely silent, accentuated only by the clinking of silver and Dudley's grunts.

"The Malfoys will be visiting for tea," her father announced halfway through the meal. Liana suddenly remembered that Lucius and Narcissa had arranged it a week ago, before the death eaters had even gotten to Privet Drive. "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, unless you would like to be bored by the political affairs of the Wizarding world, it would be recommended you entertain yourselves until dinner, which starts at six. If any of you wish to join, the appropriate clothing is in your rooms. A servant will help you dress if you have any trouble. Liana, Master Malfoy has expressed his need for help in Defense Against the Dark Arts homework. It seems he is having trouble with the components of the Patronus Charm."

"Yes, Father," she said. Who was she to deny alone time with the Prince of Slytherin?

~oOo~

As they did every time they came for tea, the Malfoys arrived promptly at three. Vernon and Petunia had holed themselves up in their suite, but Dudley, being as easily bored as he was, was wandering throughout the expansive manor.

"No, a patronus is fueled by happy memories, Draco," he heard his cousin say exasperatedly when he neared a doorway. "No wonder you couldn't produce one when everyone else could."

He peered in to see the two sitting on an elaborately decorated couch, bent over a piece of parchment with their backs to him. A wicked grin spread across his face as he – somehow – stealthily entered the room. He picked up a china vase by the door as Liana tried to explain something to the other boy, and chucked it as hard as he could at the french windows on the left side of the room.

The resulting crash brought the five adults on the property rushing towards the room. The wizards arrived first, as the tea room wasn't that far from there. In the time it took the elder Malfoy to ask what had happened, the black haired man had analyzed and processed the situation, and pinpointed the young Dursley as the source.

"Diddy? Oh, Diddy! What happened, Dinky Duddydums?" Petunia wailed as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Yes, Mr. Dursley, what happened?" he asked, glaring at the boy.

"She did it!" he shouted, pointing at Liana. "She got a vase and threw it at the window!"

"Is this true, Master Malfoy?" he asked, highly doubtful of his accusation.

"No, sir," the platinum blond shook his head. "Liana was trying to explain the Patronus Charm to me. We didn't know he was in here until just now, when the window broke."

"I see." A now puce-faced Vernon and milky pale Petunia stood behind their son, trying to give him some sort of support as the raven haired man inclined his head towards the muscled blond. "Mr. Dursley, I do not appreciate you attempting to frame my daughter. I am afraid I cannot condone such behavior within my own home."

"Give him the good ol' right hook, Dudley," Vernon muttered. "Freaks trying to threaten us. Preposterous…"

The blond, being the prat he was – meaning his only thoughts were of food, bullying, and girls – grinned as Liana wondered exactly how suicidal he was. With finesse honed from his time in boxing, he pulled back a fist and rammed it straight towards her father. Lucius looked about ready to step in, but didn't have the chance as the other man's long, pale fingers were suddenly wrapped around the teen's wrist.

He watched the boy with a raised eyebrow. "While I admit it was a well executed attack, the timing was horrible and the circumstances of it all rather foolish. Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, have you never thought to teach your son to not attack a man on his own property?" he asked. "Especially if you are guests in that house."

"But how," he gaped. Back in Privet Drive, sometimes he could even be fast enough to get his coach off guard!

"I spent my childhood trying to avoid random ambushes from a maniac woman who was trained in literally every form of physical combat," he said easily. "She still tried to attack me, up until just recently. Willing or not, she has made it so I am well versed in fighting with one's body, rather than with a weapon." His eyes narrowed as he contemplated the struggling teen in front of him, "Now, then, Mr. Dursley… I will have you know that I do not approve of _anyone_ framing my family members and then attacking me. Normally, I would have them thrown into prison for such an act."

Petunia squeaked as Vernon grew even more colorful.

"However… seeing as the dungeons are in deplorable conditions and the cellar is stocked with food that I do not want contaminated, it will have to be a much more… physical punishment." Liana could see the pure fury in her father's eyes, despite the fact his body and expression claimed nothing but aloofness.

"You will _NOT_ be hurting my son!" Vernon bellowed. Draco, with the self-preservation all of Slytherin house had, was slowly edging away.

A cool glare was immediately zeroed in on the robust man. "This is my manor, Mr. Dursley," he hissed, unable to recall the last time he had been so furious. "I told you when you first arrived, none of the three of you are welcome here. If I _must_ house you, I will not allow for you and your atrocious family to disrespect my daughter or my property. Do not try and argue," he said sharply, stopping him before he could start bellowing some more, "that you are full grown or whatever nonsense you come up with. I have very much experience in punishing men who are quite easily three your age. This is the Kuchiki Family's residence, not the Dursleys', and you will learn your place." With that, he sharply flicked his wrist as they heard the _crack!_ of a bone breaking.

Dudley howled and clutched his wrist as he sank to the floor. Petunia shrieked and started fretting over him while Vernon's face suddenly went from a deep purple to a milky white. Liana whimpered and balled in on herself. A year away from the Dursleys hadn't been enough to drive out the instincts she had developed after fourteen years of abuse, and she knew that a pale Vernon Dursley was _not _a good thing.

The heavy man lunged towards her with a roar, suddenly back seven years to when the Freak had caused his company to lose their most generous donor, or eight when she had humiliated him at work via a bucket of water balanced precariously on his door. Liana screamed and threw her arms over her head. It didn't matter how many times she had fought and survived against Lord Voldemort. She would never be able to rid herself of her fear of her uncle.

"Bakudo no sanjuu: Shitotsu Sansen!" He was suddenly thrown back by three glowing rods and pinned against the wall. By this point, Draco had retreated to where his parents stood, and all three Malfoys watched in fear as the events continued. "Did you not hear a word of what I just said?" he asked harshly, gray eyes bright with fury. "You are a lucky man, Vernon Dursley, and should be grateful that you are not one of my people. If you were, I would kill you and your miserable son for what you've done to my daughter. Never have I met anyone so despicable; not even the madman I had for an uncle, and him I killed for the shame he brought to the Kuchiki name. I promise you, when you _do_ become one of my people, I will not hesitate to make your existence a thoroughly miserable one."

With that said and done, he closed his eyes and worked on burying his anger, as his grandfather had (after very much effort) taught him. "I am sorry you had to see that," he said stiffly. "I am afraid I allowed for my temper to get the best of me."

Lucius cleared his throat. "Nothing to worry about," he said smoothly, working rapidly to regain his composure. "It happens to the best of us, Lord Kuchiki. But I dare say your daughter must be quite distraught." He quickly glanced to where his son was awkwardly trying to comfort the girl.

"Yes, of course." His tone softened immediately as he knelt down and started consoling her, feeling very much like how he did, years ago, when his wife would burst into tears after not being able to find Rukia.

Petunia was currently trying to help her son and her husband at the same time. Her mind was simply a tornado by now. What should she do? She took a fearful glance up at the magical beings, and decided it would be best to not anger them at the moment.

"It's been a long day," Narcissa said softly. "Perhaps… perhaps it would be best if we come back some other day, Lord Kuchiki. You certainly seem to have your hands full, and I wouldn't want for us to be any trouble."

"Of course. I apologize this had to end so badly," he sighed. "I suppose, logically, it was the only thing that could happen. If I had only had more foresight…" He had been very stressed lately, between trying to regain the Wizarding World's trust (it was a good thing he had the resources to donate plenty of money), preparing the manor for the arrival of these 'relatives', balancing the Potter accounts, and making sure his daughter was prepared for the next school term. Of course, that was the easy part.

Byakuya couldn't help but feel a stab of anger as he looked at the Dursleys. One pinned to the wall, muttering profanities, another cradling his hand, whimpering, and the last fearful and at a loss of what to do. He supposed that over the past year, becoming a father had weakened the tight reign he had had on his emotions, but couldn't bring himself to care.

Turning away from the three, he gently lifted his daughter off the floor and onto the couch. He shot the three a glare before putting a silencing charm on them.

"Calm down, child," he whispered, wondering where his aloofness had gone. "I will not let them hurt you… you know that, Liana. They will not harm you. Calm down." While he knew he was getting better at being a caring father, at times like this, he wished Yoruichi hadn't left yet. She, as such an outspoken (and strangely empathic) person, could handle children much better than he could. But no, he couldn't think that – she was in the middle of an important mission, after all.

After much effort, Liana managed to calm down. The second she did, she ran from the room, away from her life-long tormentors.

Byakuya honestly couldn't blame her. After making sure the Dursleys had no choice but to be locked up in their rooms, he picked up a faded, brown scrapbook and left to find his daughter.

"Yoruichi had thought something like this would happen," he remarked softly as he entered her room. She was sitting on her bed, hugging her pillow like a lifeline. "She thought that, perhaps, you might have just been pretending to be alright. She said it was common for abuse victims to try and hide that they were hurt. She said to give this to you if such a thing happened." He set the tome down. "If you'd like, you may have dinner in here."

Receiving no reply, he simply smoothed back her hair and left, hoping whatever the woman had left behind would help her.

It was only when she was absolutely sure he was gone, did Liana pick it up. It wasn't much, just an old leather bound book with 'MEMORIES' scribbled on the front in bold permanent marker. She found the inside didn't look nearly as aged as the outside, and also found a letter written on the inside cover.

'_Liana-chan,_

_If you're reading this, either you've given in to your past and broken down and I'm not there to help, or Byakuya (and probably me as well) has kicked the bucket and left this to you._

_I made this not too long after we got you from Privet Drive. It's a collection of my memories of the Kuchiki's, the Marauders, and Lily. There's a translation charm so you can understand everything, but little things like 'san' ,'kun', and 'sama' will stay the same._

_I don't know how much time has passed since I made this, but I'll explain some things to you. War has many aspects. The most obvious are the two (sometimes more) sides – in this case, Dark and Light. There are also spies. Severus Snape is the Light side's spy on Voldemort. Byakuya is the Sereitei's informant on the Light. I am Sereitei's agent in the Dark. As far as the average wizard of the street knows, our true loyalty could be to either of the groups we act for, they never really know which. I know the facts, though, after spending seven years going to the same school as Snape and spending so much time haunting Kuchiki Manor. Your father and I will always be loyal to our families and the Sereitei first. He's only cooperating with the Order for your sake, I think. I'm just here because my family has always been a spy in the enemy ranks. Snape, no much how confusing he is, is loyal to the Light, for Lily's sake. As far as he and I go, our actions on the battlefield will make it look like we are extremely loyal to the Dark (actually, I think I'm gonna try and compete with Bellatrix Lestrange for Voldemort's attention, just to have something to do), but please know that neither of us want Riddle to win, and being a spy like this is no choice of ours._

_All you need to do to see the memories is to touch the pictures. Show some of them to Byakuya, once he gets over Aimi's death, I mean. Also, remember you promised to not tell of my brother._

_PLEASE cause some chaos for me,  
>Yoruichi Shihoin'<em>

She stared at the letter for a bit longer before slowly turning to the next page. It didn't look like a scrapbook anymore, it looked more like a photo album, with four pictures neatly placed before her. The first one was of a very young Yoruichi (she looked like she was seven!) and a teenager who looked strangely like her father, but softer.

She carefully pressed her finger against it, watching as the picture become three dimensional, as though she was in it herself.

"Kuchiki-dono, how wonderful it is to see you again," said a man with dark skin and golden eyes. To Liana's surprsie, Yoruichi hid behind him, as if shy.

"Yes, Shihoin-dono, it is. I take it this is the Yoruichi I've been hearing so much about?" A younger version of her great-grandfather smiled warmly down at her.

"Yes. Say hello, hime-chan," he said gently.

She looked up at him, somewhat fearfully, before bowing quickly and mumbling, "It's an honor to meet you, Kuchiki-sama," before going back to clutching her father's hakama.

"This is my son, Sojun," he said, gesturing to the teen, who also bowed. "Sojun, Shihoin-dono and I have much to discuss, would you mind staying with Shihoin-san until we return?"

"Yes, Father," he said obediently.

The golden eyed man nudged his daughter forward. "She's quite shy. Please try not to scare her."

"Yes, sir," he nodded, smiling kindly at the small girl, who was just staring down at the kimono she was wearing.

The two men left the room, already deep into their discussion.

"Hello," he knelt down to meet her eye. "Your name is Yoruichi, correct?"

"H-hai," she said quietly. "Shihoin Yoruichi. You're Kuchiki-senpai?"

"Yes, I suppose I am," he laughed softly. "But to be honest, I don't really know how to be a senpai. It's my first time. Do you know how to be a kohai?"

"No," she said, looking away. "I can't, not really. I have too many lessons. Father says they're important so I can become the nibantai taicho and Onmitsukido commander when I grow up. Father also says I have to be clan head too."

"Taicho, commander, and clan head?" He looked astonished. "I can see why you don't have the time. Why don't you play now, then, while you can? I have few things in my room."

She tilted her head, mumbling almost incomprehensibly, "Play? Nii-san would get mad at me if I played…"

"'Nii-san'? I didn't know Shihoin-sama had a son," he said.

Her eyes widened and she clapped her hands over her mouth, "Ano… Nii-san isn't… isn't my father's… eto…" Tears started welling as she tried to formulate a response. "Not anymore… Father doesn't like to mention him, and Mother gets upset whenever someone talks about him."

"The way you say it, it sounds like he's dead." His brows furrowed. "But I'm certain I've never heard of a Shihoin son, much less a dead one. Are you sure?"

"He-he isn't dead," she whispered, staring frightened at her hands as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Nii-san isn't dead. He isn't my mother's son, though. Grandfather said his mother was a maid."

"Oh, my." The teen realized he had stumbled across an illegitimate "I didn't mean to pry…"

"No! It's fine, really!" she insisted, suddenly looking bright and hopeful. "You can help me! It's okay!"

"Help you?" He was really confused now.

Yoruichi looked around, scared someone might be listening, before leaning in close and whispering, "Nii-san doesn't like me. He makes me do things for him, even though he's a servant, and hits me if I don't do them right. Mother and Father don't know. He says he'll kill me if I tell them. I'm not allowed to tell anyone in my family. He calls me bad things too. I don't know what they mean, but I know they're bad. He calls me a b*tch and a wh*re a lot."

"But you're only a child," he breathed. "Not even a century old! Good Lord, I have to tell Father."

"No!" He suddenly found a panicked child attached to his leg. "Don't tell! Please don't tell, Kuchiki-senpai. It has to be a secret! Nii-san would kill me if you did! No one can know! Please, senpai, you can't tell!"

"Oh, alright," he said slowly, extremely reluctant reluctantly. "But if I can't tell anyone, how am I supposed to help you?"

"You can ask if I can come over," she said instantly, as if she'd been thinking about it a while, "or come over to my manor – Nii-san doesn't bother me if there are other people around – maybe bring some bandages? He told me he found a whip somewhere yesterday." The tears reappeared. "I've seen them when Father brings me to work with him. Nii-san said that if he hits me hard enough with it, and no one helps me, then I'll die really fast!"

From the look on the teen's face, he didn't know why he wasn't telling his father, but he wouldn't anyway. "Alright," he said reluctantly. "I'll ask Father if I can come over to your house soon. We'll figure something out after that, alright?"

"Thank you!" she hugged him, letting go of his leg and attacking his torso in place of it. "Thank you so much, Kuchiki-senpai! Maybe I can actually be two hundred someday!" she said brightly.

Liana blanched, but couldn't blame her. At that age, she didn't think she'd live to twenty either. Her grandfather looked ill that she thought such a thing, but at that moment, the two clan heads stepped back in.

"It looks like the two of you are getting along quite well," Yoruichi's father said as his daughter smiled. "I hope she didn't cause you any trouble."

"No, Shihoin-sama," he said hesitantly, a weak smile on his face. "I suppose I just don't have enough experience with young children. Maybe if I had more…"

"Why don't you come visit sometime, then, Kuchiki-san," he invited. "I'm afraid my daughter doesn't have very many friends. You would be welcome to come by."

"A wonderful idea," said her great-grandfather. "Why not tomorrow after lunch?"

"Yes, that would be an opportune time," he nodded. "But I'm afraid I should get my daughter home. One of her tutors will be there soon."

"I'll show you the door, then." Yoruichi turned and waved at the teen, smiling something that looked reminiscent of her, now usual grin, before hurrying to catch up with her father.

Liana found herself back in her bedroom, staring at the album. She never would have thought Yoruichi had been that way… still, that peaked her curiosity and she touched the next picture, one of her and her grandfather, looking two years older than in the last one, and three other boys Yoruichi's age.

"Oi! Kuchiki-senpai!" a boy with spiky black hair shouted, waving enthusiastically. The other two stopped.

"Are they other nobles, Kaien?" asked the other boy with dark hair. "And a _girl_?"

"I think that's Shihoin Yoruichi," said the blond, looking speculative. "They say she has violet hair and dark skin, but golden eyes that shine in the night."

"Fitting, 'Night one'," he snorted.

The spiky haired boy rolled his eyes and ran up to the two nobles. "What are you doing here, senpai?" he asked.

He smiled. "I'm just taking a walk with Yoruichi-san." He gestured to the girl beside him, who gave a small wave.

"Hi, I'm Shiba Kaien," he said enthusiastically.

"My name is Shihoin Yoruichi," she replied before looking over his shoulder. "Why are there kids from Rukongai here?"

"Huh? Oh, those are my friends," he laughed. "They're really nice, really! Guys, get over here!"

The two walked over, looking at the newcomers curiously.

"This is Urahara Kisuke," he pointed at the blond, "and Kurosaki Isshin," he pointed at the black haired boy. "They're come from the 1st district, so we see each other a lot."

"Hello," she said, somewhat unsure. She had never met someone from Rukon before.

"Hi," Kisuke grinned. Isshin smiled.

"Come on, senpai!" Kaien shouted, running. "We're playing tag and Shihoin-san's it!"

Her eyes brightened at the thought of her favorite game. Sojun laughed and ran as well. "It was a bad idea to choose the Shihoin princess to be it, Kaien!"

The next one was, obviously, years later, as Yoruichi now looked around twenty, as did her grandfather. Another woman was with them, her grandmother, judging by the way her grandfather was acting. It was a sweet scene. It seemed she had just come out of labor, and they were cooing over a baby as Yoruichi stood watched from the side of the room with a motherly woman with long, braided hair.

"What should his name be, Aimi?" her grandfather asked softly as the baby slept.

She smiled adoringly at him. "Byakuya. His name will be Kuchiki Byakuya."

The memory ended there and she picked the next one. She had figured out by now they were in chronological order, and was eager to know more.

Yoruichi was crying as her great-grandfather watched somberly.

"He can't be," she said in denial. "Not Sojun. He can't be dead!" She then whispered, "I never got a chance to repay him."

"I'm afraid so, Yoruichi," he said solemnly, obviously still getting used to it himself.

"He can't!" She shook her head furiously. "He promised… he promised to me that he'd never leave… he promised to Byakuya he'd come back!" She paled. "Byakuya… oh Lord, how's he taking this?"

"We haven't told him," he sighed. "He's too young to really understand. Aimi's too upset to tell him much of anything, and I've been trying to find a way to tell him."

She took a deep breath, trying to calm down, as resolve and determination steeled her eyes. "If I couldn't help keep Sojun alive, then I swear on the honor of the Shihoin Clan that I'll do everything I can to help his son and descendents. I'm not going to let him down again."

There seemed to be two memories connected to this picture, as she suddenly found herself in an ancient Japanese hall. Yoruichi was running and Liana got dizzy at the sensation of moving so quickly yet not moving at all. Someone was screaming, over and over. It was becoming louder, as if she was getting closer.

Yoruichi finally reached a sliding rice paper door. She opened the door and froze. Liana did as well. The woman she had seen just two memories ago, was lying there with a spear through her chest as a four year old version of her father tried to shake her awake.

His begging seemed to bring Yoruichi back to reality, and she embraced him.

"Please calm down, Bya-kun. I'm sorry, but there's nothing you can do. Your mother is sleeping. No, she won't wake up again. She's gone to be with your father."

In the next one, she was in what Liana assumed to be her bedroom. She flicked her wrist and caught a blade that fell out of her sleeve.

"Without Sojun here, there isn't any point in me living," she whispered. "Hayato will kill me. I may as well die quickly, rather than bleed to death by his goddamn whip." She looked over to a paper that was folded next to her, before digging the blade deep into her wrists.

Her eyes drooped as blood spurted out of the wounds, staining her clothing and pooling around her. Her vision unfocused as colors blurred together and she slumped onto the floor, curling up on her side. The last thing she heard was a distant voice calling, "Yoruichi-san!"

This, as well, was connected to another memory. She found herself in what seemed to be a hospital room. Oh, how she hated the hospital wing.

"You're awake," said the same motherly woman from before.

Yoruichi blinked. "Unohana-taicho? What?" She looked around. "I'm supposed to be dead," she said angrily. "Why am I still alive?"

"Urahara-san found you," she explained. "You've been unconscious for the past five months."

"I'm supposed to be dead," she repeated. "Why couldn't he just leave me to die?"

"Because he cares about you."

In the next one, she was in an all-black outfit with a tan cloak wrapped around her shoulders, sneaking around the ancient city before running through a blinding light. As she ran through the disgusting tunnel beyond it, she spoke, as if trying to convince herself of something. "It's for the best. Ginrei will make sure Byakuya's safe. I'm not abandoning him or Sojun. I'll come back one day. I'm doing what's right, for my friends."

The next, they were on a rope bridge. There was also a white haired man, an orange haired teen, her aunt, her father, a meek looking boy, and a fat, bleeding man.

"It's been a long time, Byakuya-bo." She straightened up from her crouched position, still holding one end of a cloth that had been wrapped around his blade.

"You," he said, astonished.

"Do you know who that is?" the shy looking boy asked.

"No, but I have heard of her," her aunt said, wide-eyed. "She's-"

"The _former_ commander of the Onmitsukido and ex-general of the first division punishment force," Her father said coldly. "Shihoin Yoruichi. I haven't seen your face in a while. You've been in hiding for over a hundred years. I thought you were dead." He said this so coolly it seemed as though he hated her.

"Yoruichi-san." She glanced back to glance at the orange haired teen, who had a determined look on his face. "You came here to rescue me, I realize that. I appreciate it, but I need you to step aside so I can beat this guy."

She turned to look at him. "Beat him? You think you can beat this guy?" She scoffed before saying harshly, "You _are_ a fool."

Before Liana could even blink, she had shunpoed and lodged her hand into his already-wounded stomach.

His eyes widened. "What… what are you doing, Yoruichi-san?" he gasped painfully before his eyes rolled into his head. Her hand retreated, bringing a spray of blood with it, and he slumped forward as she straightened up to catch him.

"It's a drug, isn't it?" asked the white haired man. "A powerful anesthetic, megigaten or hoten, forced directly into his body to try and save him. What do you intend to do with him, Yoruichi?"

She stared at him. "Ukitake…"

"Don't waste your time trying to help him," her father sneered. "Neither of you will ever escape from here."

"My," she smirked. "Just listen to you talking like such a big shot now, Byakuya. And yet, I don't think you've beaten me even_ once _at a game of tag, have you?"

"Shall we give it another try?" As if an unspoken signal, both of them disappeared into shunpo. His blade broke free of the cloth it was trapped in as he turned and slashed at her in the same fluid movement. She shunpoed away, still supporting the unconscious teen. He appeared behind her, and she reappeared about fifteen feet away, now facing him. Looking determined to beat the other, both of them started walking quickly towards each other, before shunpoing yet again.

She leaped straight over his left side, somewhat like what a ballerina would do, before continuing to shunpo to the other side of the bridge – the only escape other than straight down. She smirked back as she landed… almost.

Her eyes widened as, the second her foot had touched the wood, he appeared just behind her.

"Did you really think you could escape with a shunpo that slow?" he criticized, looking stony cold and ready to kill.

Her head swung around as his blade sang through the air. She fell back, mouth open in a silent scream, looking like a tortured doll as blood spurted from her chest like a fountain.

Her father's eyes widened as the only thing that fell were two pieces of orange fabric. She reappeared and landed gently on his arm, still outstretched from his slash.

"Did you really think you could capture me with a shunpo that predictable?" she asked slyly before reappearing on the roof behind them.

"Three days," she said. "In three days I shall make this boy stronger than you. Until then, consider the fight between you two postponed. Feel free to give chase if you wish, but," she smirked saucily at him, "Shunshin Yoruichi is not about to be caught by the likes of you."

She was now back in a hospital room where, to her surprise, her father was resting on the bed, staring out the window. There was a knock on the door and Yoruichi stepped in.

"I wanted to see how you were doing," she said before smiling at him. "My, you've certainly grown up since the last time I've seen you, Byakuya-bo."

"It's been a hundred years," he replied. "Though I see the only thing changed about you is your hair."

"I didn't expect that," she chuckled. "I was in my cat form practically the entire time. It surprised me, to be honest." There was an awkward silence before she spoke again, "Byakuya, I-"

"How did you do it?" he asked abruptly, ignoring the previous comment. "How did you reappear like that? There was blood all over you… yet it was gone."

"Utsusemi," she replied. "3rd way of Shihou, Utsusemi."

"Teach it to me," he demanded. "If we are going to win this war against Aizen-"

"Tch," she snorted, interrupting him. "No matter what the others think, you haven't changed at all. It's just like you to think of training before anything else." She shook her head. "No, I won't teach you."

"And why not?" he asked harshly. "We are in a state of war, Shihoin-"

"You think I don't know that?" she retorted. "That's part of the reason I came back here; to help the Soul Society."

"Then why not?" he said angrily.

"Because my friends and loved ones come before the Sereitei," she said seriously. "Why do you think I helped Shinji and the others get away?"

"What on earth does that have to do with this?" he asked.

"Because I was friends with your father. When he died all those years ago, and I learned of your ignorance and your mother's grief, I promised myself I would protect his bloodline, no matter what it cost," she said. "Despite that, I've failed him not once, but three times. I refuse to let him down a fourth time."

"What on earth are you talking about?" he nearly growled.

"Your sister," she said bluntly, as if it was obvious. "For _forty years _she was alone, forsaken by her brother and pushed away by the only friend she had left. Another part of the reason I came was for her – I've seen and heard a lot of things about that girl, I couldn't just let her die. Hisana said she wanted her to have someone, not just a person with the title 'Brother', but someone she could go to. Even if he never met her, your father wouldn't want this for his children, and neither would your wife."

She turned to leave. "Until you stop being a stranger and start being a brother, I won't teach you Utsusemi."

With the next picture, a very familiar room materialized. Looking around the familiar setting of Gryffindor Common Room, she found a strangely younger Yoruichi, looking about eleven, crying in one of the lonelier chairs away from the fire. Watching curiously from near the fire were four boys who she recognized quite easily.

"What's she doing here, anyway?" her future-godfather whispered. "From what I see, she looks like she belongs in Hufflepuff."

"Just because she's crying doesn't mean she's not brave," Remus frowned, defending their fellow first year before walking up to her. "Are you alright?"

"Nandao? Nandao? Okaa-san, Otou-san! Nandao?" she sobbed after glancing at him. Liana understood this as 'What's going on? What's going on? Mother, Father! What's going on?'

"Daijobu?" he asked in accented Japanese. 'Are you alright?'

"No. I just want to go back to Mother and Father!" she sniffed.

"Cheer up, everything will be fine," he said, trying to be reassuring. "We're learning _magic_ after all."

"I didn't even want to come here!" she shrieked. "I was sleeping and then there was knocking a-and Mother and Father were attacked, and then I saw a red light and that horrible man took me here!"

"Wait… you were _forced_ to come here?" he was surprised. They forced students to come to Hogwarts?

"Yes, and I want to go home!" she wailed.

The memory ended there abruptly, as if there was something else that wasn't meant for public view.

Liana scowled. Who would force a child to go to a school when they obviously didn't want to? That was the last memory in the scrapbook, and she watched as a letter scrawled itself into the page.

'_I stopped there, obviously. I wanted for you to have a chance to put in your own memories. This book has been charmed so it has an infinite amount of pages. All you have to do is put in a picture (it can be of whatever you want, even if it's completely irrelevant or just something you doodled in there) and focus on the memory. While focusing, put your wand tip/finger to your temple and slowly draw it away. A silvery strand should come out with it – that's the physical form of all memories. You can put in whatever memories you want, from your childhood to a random funny moment from class that day._

_Also, this journal recognizes reiatsu. Unless you gave someone permission specifically stating they can look, and you have to give them permission each time (annoying, I know, but it's a security hazard if they can get into it whenever they want. Besides, I don't want everyone knowing about my past…)._

_Think of it as all the Christmas/birthday gifts I'm not able/wasn't able to give you because of this stupid war, though I doubt that would be very many, as I plan on ending this by the end of your sixth year._

_Shihoin Yoruichi'_

She picked up a pen they had gotten from the muggle world and quickly began making simple, but meaningful drawings to store her memories in. She was going to start using this as a sort of sacred journal.

Dinner that night was even stranger than lunch had been. The Dursleys, unfortunately, didn't want to eat in their rooms, so the entire household was forced to eat together.

Her father, for his part, was either trying to keep things as normal as possible, or was simply ignoring the tension.

"We will be going to Diagon Alley to pick up your school supplies tomorrow, Liana," he said calmly. "Would you like to accompany us, Messrs and Mrs. Dursley?" he asked.

"No way in ruddy hell I'm going to a freak's market," Vernon snorted, still sour over what had happened earlier.

Dudley followed his father's lead, though he was concentrating too much on trying to eat properly with his left hand, as his right was encased in a cast.

Petunia, quickly agreed with her family. She would never go into such a place with so many freaks, after all.

Liana gave a faint smile. At least they wouldn't taint her cherished visit to Diagon Alley.

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><p>If anyone is interested in beta-ing this story, please contact me. I'd like to make sure this story is as good as possible.<p> 


	12. Diagon Alley

I do not own anything

So far, so good. The world hasn't ended yet.

Also, I've made a facebook account solely for fanfiction. It goes by Emily Livrefille, which literally means 'book girl' in French. I felt unoriginal.

Enjoy!

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><p>It was so very strange, Liana thought, to be here today. She had only been to Diagon Alley with her father a few times, and then Yoruichi had been with them. Now she was there with him, but Yoruichi wasn't there, laughing about what she had just overheard or seen in a shop window.<p>

Still, she didn't mention it – she didn't want to go through the pain of that – and simply went about her business as if it wasn't anything unusual, ignoring the painful absence of the cheerful lady.

They had just completed their last stop – buying a plethora of books that would make Hermione faint at Flourish and Blotts – when the chaos started.

She didn't know what happened, all she knew was that there was suddenly screaming as people pushed past her, bright jets of light flying through the air from the figures robed in dark cloaks and intricate masks that shielded their faces from view. She didn't know who they were, for the most part, at least, she thought she didn't. It wasn't until her father was ushering her past the Apothecary she saw the only black robed figure not wearing a mask.

Maniacal laughter bubbled out of the sorceress's throat as she shot sickly looking curses at passing civilians, amber eyes glinting dangerously. Hair the color of her favorite orchids and skin that looked like melted chocolate made her easily distinguishable from the crowd of panicking shoppers.

"It's Yoruichi!" she whisper/shouted, not quite sure which it was in the midst of all the noise.

Her father took her arm. "We have no time for that," he urged. "Hurry. If they see us, then they will go after us."

"But all these innocent people!" she protested, pulling away, or at least trying to. "We can't just leave them here!"

"We don't have any time-"

"I've found her!" Both turned as the woman Liana had been watching swept through the crowd with ease, an insane look in her eyes as her hair and robes flared around her. The crowd gave her a wide berth, only father and daughter staying where they were, giving them some sort of field.

"What a lucky day," she cackled. "Go for what I thought was an ordinary raid, yet, it isn't! How wonderful it is that I had the luck to find both a blood traitor of the highest degree, and the Girl-Who-Lived!"

"Lucky?" He shifted ever so slightly, coming to rest in such a position so he could protect his daughter. "I must disagree. Today has turned out to be a very unfortunate day."

"That's because today is the day you die," she smirked. "But… I think I'd like to test something first…" she drawled. "My Lord's genius has discovered how to trap Boggarts, so we may carry them around without needing to worry about them showing us our fears. Rather, we use them to show our enemies' fears. The only problem is, we haven't tested them." She clapped her hands together excitedly and pointed at a random death eater. "You there! Let one out!"

"Right," he grunted before taking out a glass sphere with something black and smoky swirling inside. He threw it into the air, towards the purple haired woman.

"Not me, you fool!" she screeched. "Them! Them!" But it was too late. The glass shattered as the boggart rose. Byakuya quickly pushed his daughter away. It wasn't likely they were close enough for it to choose them as the victims, but he didn't want for her to suffer. He'd gladly take it himself.

Yoruichi's eyes widened and she stood ramrod straight as three people emerged from the boggart. A man, a woman, and a child.

"Why didn't you help me, Yoruichi?" asked the man, gliding towards her, as if he had wings instead of feet. Her insanity melted away as she flinched at the voice she hadn't heard in over two hundred years. "I helped you, didn't I? I saved you, so many times… why didn't you save me, then? Because of you…" Gray eyes stared into gold. "… because of you, I've died." He slumped as a large gash appeared on his chest and he stared into the distance, lifeless.

"My husband," the woman choked. "You said you would save him – do whatever you could for him to live, even at the cost of your own life. You told me so, when we first met. So why? Why have you lied? My husband has died. The man I love… because of you, I am a widow – I've lost my will to live." A spear appeared in her hand as she rammed it into her heart, more crimson splattering the normally cheerful alley as her corpse fell to the ground.

Yoruichi simply stared, horrified, as Byakuya recoiled at the familiar scene.

The child turned to the felled woman, looking frightened. "Mother!" he cried. "Mother! Mother, wake up! Wake up!" He turned to Yoruichi, tears welling up in his wide, gray eyes, before asking in an eerily innocent way, "Why won't Mother wake up, Shihoin-senpai? Make her wake up! You have to! You have to!"

The child stared at her longer as the two bodies faded away. He seemed to be aging, as he grew taller and baby fat thinned away. Soon, a teenager stood in front of them, looking hurt and angry.

"You couldn't save them!" he shouted. "Even after all they had done… after everything! You decided that my father wasn't worth enough for you to protect; that my mother was too useless to save! Even after you let them die, you decided the Kuchikis weren't worth anything! You abandoned us! You left us! After everything you had pledged, you left me and the Seireitei! You abandoned everything you had ever promised to us! I hate you! _I hate you, Shihoin Yoruichi!"_

"Shut up!" she shouted, reiatsu crackling around her. "Don't you think I know that? Of course you hate me! I hate myself! I had to leave the son of the man who saved me from a life of torture and despair! I couldn't watch him grow up! I couldn't watch when he got married, or became a widower, or even adopt a bloody _sister!_ I left him for a hundred years only to come back to an shell of a man who wanted nothing more than to kill me! You don't have to tell me that you hate me, you stupid _blood traitor_!" She slashed her arm at the teenage form, allowing for a hidden blade to fly out of her sleeve and stab through the boggart as grayish black blood spurted everywhere.

"I see," the adult version of the teen said once he had regained his composure. "You believe yourself to be the cause of my parents' deaths, and that I resented you for it. The psychological strain was too much for you, so in order to counteract that, you have convinced yourself that you hate me, so that you may live in something resembling peace. That, coupled with your deep loathing for Albus Dumbledore, is why you have betrayed us. Am I wrong, Shihoin Yoruichi?"

"Shut up," she hissed, breathing heavily in order to not hyperventilate. "I don't damn need you psychoanalyzing me, blood traitor. I don't need your sympathy or whatever the hell you'd give me!" She then barked, "Retreat! We've frightened enough mudbloods for today, I think." She turned on the spot, glaring at Byakuya and nursing the precious remains of her dignity.

~oOo~

Naturally, the attack made headlines the next day, giving the public exaggerated, but surprisingly accurate, information about the fears of the Dark Lord's newest and possibly most powerful minion ironically being the family of the one she betrayed.

Of course, it sold out in minutes.

Liana watched in interest as a black butterfly drifted into the room during breakfast. Her father glanced up and held up a finger for it, like a perch. There was a tinkling, bell like sound before she heard a familiar voice, gasping as though in pain.

"_The Dark Lord didn't like that the boggart went to me… Crabbe's getting cruicioed right now… he didn't like my fears either… he decided to AK me because it affected me more than crucio… Kami, how did you survive that?"_

"What the ruddy hell was that?" Vernon grumbled. He knew freaks did stuff with owls, but butterflies?

"It is the way shinigami communicate, but I'm afraid it's grown out of favor since we adopted cell phones from you humans," he explained calmly. "The message, however, can only be heard directly by those who it's meant for. It's more convenient than owls, as they are much less work."

"'Shinigami'?" he snorted. "What's that? Another type of freak?"

He contemplated this for a moment. "You could put it that way. Shinigami have the potential to learn wizarding magic, and the more… fortunate of us usually do out of sheer boredom. However, shinigami were not born as wizards. Most of us have actually experienced death."

"What?" Petunia squeaked.

He looked at the Dursleys as though this was just old news. His way of getting a laugh, Liana realized, was to scare people with information while acting as though it was common knowledge, and laughing over it later, when he was alone – and said, "Shinigami means death god in Japanese. I suppose you might be able to compare us to Grim Reapers."

Petunia shrieked as her husband turned a magnificent shade of purple. Their son stopped with the spoon halfway to his mouth – probably the only time that had ever happened – and gaped.

"Y-you _died?" _Vernon sputtered.

He scoffed, though the look in his eyes said he was obviously amused. "How can I have died when I was never among the living?"

"_WHAT THE RUDDY HELL IS GOING ON?" _he bellowed.

Byakuya rose an eyebrow. "Isn't it obvious?" he asked. "I was never among the living; that is to say, I was not born with a body that would normally enable muggles to see me. What I am in now is a gigai, a faux body. You could say I was born in the afterlife."

As one, the two adult Dursleys fainted, as their son ran screaming from the room.

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><p>Seventy reviews after just thirteen chapters? You guys rock!<p> 


	13. The Cost of Mischief

I do not own anything

To show that no one's perfect, and that the effects of abuse are long lasting.

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><p>She couldn't help it. She was bored and dispirited. She had, after all, been stuck at home all summer, where the only interesting things that had happened were Sirius and Remus barging in, the interview at Gringotts, the Dursleys coming, the attack on Diagon Alley, and her father's strange sense of humor occasionally making a rare appearance. She didn't really enjoy the majority of those events. She had tried to bear the boredom, but in a house – no matter how large – where the only people she could interact with was her always-working father and loathed relatives, she could only stand so much.<p>

She had been spending the day thinking of ways to sneak out. Since the floo was only connected to one place, it would be too obvious. Portkeys were illegal unless approved by the Ministry. Her broom would surely be noticed, and even under her cloak, her father could sense her. She didn't know how to apparate, either – her eyes lit up as a stroke of brilliance hit her – but she knew someone who did.

"Dobby!" she called when she was in the privacy of her room. A _crack!_ resounded off the walls as the strange house-elf appeared.

"Yes, Liana Potter!" he squeaked eagerly.

"Take me to Order headquarters," she said, taking the elf's hand.

"Yes, Liana Potter!" he said excitedly before apparating.

~oOo~

Byakuya's head jerked up from his paperwork as he felt the reiatsus of his daughter and the elf she had summoned disappear, as if they had disapparated. That girl was in _so_ much trouble.

~oOo~

Liana had just grabbed Ron and Hermione's arms before directing Dobby to take them to Hogsmeade.

"Wha? Liana?" Ron gaped as he regained his footing. "What the bloody hell is going on?"

She grinned, somewhat sheepishly as she realized how abrupt this had been. "Sorry guys, but I was getting so bored! I just had to get out."

"Oh, Liana," Hermione moaned. "Will you ever stop and think before you act? What will the Order say? What will your _father_ say?"

She frowned as she realized this. "Well there's no point in going back… my father probably knows already. Might as well enjoy this while we still can."

"Fred and George branched out to Hogsmeade. Let's go over there," Ron suggested. "One of them should be there to help us hide if we need to. Let's just hope it isn't Moody or your dad who looks there."

"Let's hurry before someone sees us," Liana whispered, walking briskly towards the shop with '**WEASLEY'S WIZARDING WHEEZES' **emblazoned onto the sign.

"We're all going to be in so much trouble," Hermione lamented, but followed anyway.

The trio, with George's help – as he was always willing to help cause mischief – managed to evade the Order members by casting glamours, Notice-Me-Not charms, and Disillusionment charms onto themselves. It wasn't until a good three hours later they had reason to worry.

Liana's father had just stepped into the store, much to their surprise. Why would Byakuya Kuchiki ever be in a joke shop? He walked through the aisles rapidly, ignoring George Weasley's attempts to distract him, until he was at the end of the aisle where the three were trying to escape.

"_Stop_," he hissed, striding furiously towards them. With a wave of his wand and an overpowered _Finite Incantatem_, the spells were washed away.

"Just _what_ are the three of you doing here?" he asked in a dangerously low voice.

"S-sir, it can be explained. W-we didn't mean any trouble – not Ron and I, anyway," Hermione stammered, "but Liana took us here and said she'd been so _bored_. I tried to stop them, but -"

"But you joined them anyway," he interrupted before his eyes narrowed significantly. "The three of you are sixteen years old and have been thrust into a war. I would think you know better, especially you, Miss Granger, when a simple Patronus would have been able to alert us of this."

"We were just trying to help," Ron said hotly, just as stubborn and hotheaded as ever. "Maybe Liana wouldn't be so bored if you actually _talked_ to her once in a while. I mean, what kind of guy just ignores their own family-"

His eyes flashed as he was abruptly reminded of forty years of ignoring and negligence. "That's enough," his voice was now a deadly whisper. "I cannot help it, Mr. Weasley, if I am a busy man. If you have not realized it yet, a large amount of my time is taken by being the relocated head of a powerful family and the captain of a military unit, not made easier by my second-in-command getting drunk every night rather than working, or by my clan elders constantly pushing me to declare my marriage null and void and to disown my sister and daughter."

By now, he was hissing, angered. "Of course, I must try and soothe your Wizarding World in hopes that my daughter might be able to live peacefully in the first place where she felt she truly belonged, when I could easily lighten my workload by returning to the Seireitei and leaving you to fight this war on your own. Understand that all I am doing at the moment is trying to keep my daughter happy."

"H-he didn't mean to make you upset, Lord Kuchiki," Hermione said tearfully, as Liana stared, wide-eyed, and Ron tried to comprehend what he had just said. "Ron – Ron doesn't think about what he says very much, he didn't mean to offend you, sir."

"Being as it may," he said stiffly. "It would be wise for him to realize the consequences of his actions. You will not always be able to repair the damage his tactlessness causes, Miss Granger, nor will you be able to save him from his mother, as I am sure she is quite upset with him at the moment."

The freckled teen paled at the mention of his mother's wrath. Clearly, he had not thought of that.

Byakuya gave his daughter a look that clearly said she was still in trouble, before taking the three of them back to the manor.

The sitting room was packed with Order members. Grimmauld Place had been deemed as insecure in light of the Golden Trio's disappearance, thus Headquarters was temporarily moved to the back-up location.

Their host's anger was noticed as he entered the room, trailed by the three whom everyone had been worried about.

"Ronald Bilius Weasley!" Molly cried as she stalked over to her youngest son. "Where in Merlin's name were you?"

"They were in Hogsmeade," the noble said. "More specifically, one of the outposts of the store your sons made."

She turned the famous Weasley red as she dragged Ron over to his brothers and started yelling at all three of them. Those who knew Molly Weasley winced in sympathy.

Remus, as the closest adult to her, lightly reprimanded Hermione while keeping Sirius under a body-bind and silencing combo, so as to keep him from grinning at 'Prongslette' and making the whole situation worse.

Byakuya allowed the assembled mass ten minutes to fuss over his daughter before sending her up to her room.

Liana felt horrible as she headed up to her bedroom. Despite the fact she had lived with her father for a little over a year now, this was the first time she had gotten into any trouble, as she had always been careful to behave. She honestly had no idea what to expect, but didn't like what she _did_ expect, as the only things she knew of punishments were detentions and what the Dursleys did to her. And then, detentions were something only teachers and prefects handed out. How did an actual _guardian_ go about punishing their wards?

"Liana."

What if the Dursleys were right and she was a freak? They had always told her freaks deserved what they got. What if the shinigami used their zanpakuto or kido to deal with freaks? What would she do then?

"Liana."

Yoruichi had said if she misbehaved she would be disowned and be put back into the custody of the Dursleys, then probably booted out as she was no longer her father's (did she even have the right to call him that anymore?) responsibility. Was she being sent up to pack? What if it was some sort of horrible combination and she would be beaten _then _sent away?

"_Liana."_

Ron and Hermione must hate her now. Not only had she gotten herself in trouble, but them too. She didn't blame them, though, no one wanted to be with a freak like her. No doubt they would stop being her friends, they probably decided they'd leave her already. Then she would have nothing to live for. Maybe it would just be easier to go to Voldemort and give up. He might be merciful and just-

"_Liana!"_

She jumped, snapped out of her thoughts by her father, who was now standing in front of her.

"What are you thinking so deeply about?" he questioned. "I have been calling your name for a few minutes now."

"N-nothing, Father," she mumbled, vaguely wondering how long he would give her to pack.

He obviously didn't believe her, but didn't pursue the issue any further.

"What on earth were you thinking?" he asked instead. "I am certain you know of the danger you are in, with Riddle and his followers at large once again. Why were you so reckless?"

She bit her lip. "I guess I was bored and tired of being stuck in here all the time," she said quietly. "I'm sorry."

"I see." Ah, so she had been going stir crazy. That made more sense. He should have known. He had also been like that when he was younger. Social gatherings had been torture for him; having to sit still and be quiet for so long while listening to noble heads talk to his grandfather about who-knows-what. He frowned as the current situation was pushed back into his thoughts. No matter what, she had worried them very much and put herself and her friends into a great deal of danger. He sighed. "I suppose I should have realized you would become restless. You are, after all, still quite young. However, that does not mean I am not still upset with you."

She had never thought he wasn't.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out. "I-I didn't mean to put myself into danger, and especially not Ron and Hermione! I was just so tired of being stuck here all the time. I'm sorry, Father, I really am, please don't send me away."

"What?" His brows drew together in confusion, before his eyes cleared in understanding. He frowned, it seemed she really was trying to hide the damage, he should have expected it. She was staring at her lap, looking like a kicked puppy. He sighed. "Liana, look at me," he said sternly.

She looked up, but refused to look anywhere above her father's chest. He reached out to her and gently pushed her chin upward, tilting her head so she had no choice but to look into his eyes. "I will never send you away," he said firmly. "Even if I would, it would be ludicrous to do so for something so insignificant. Why on earth do you think I would do such a thing?"

"Yoruichi told me at the beginning of the school year that you would disown me if I caused too much trouble," she said quietly, trying to resist the urge to cry. "She said I'd be sent back to the Dursleys. They always said that they would send me to an orphanage, and that I was lucky they kept me at all. With me almost being of age, they would've kicked me out for sure! I don't want to be alone again!" She felt tears slip down her cheeks as her mind rested on the thought.

"You silly child," he sighed before gently embracing her, despite his strong avoidance of most physical contact. "Yoruichi was exaggerating. It would be senseless to disown the only heir to the Kuchiki family, and your mother would never forgive me for doing so. As for the Dursleys," his eyes narrowed at the thought of the unappreciative relatives he was forced to house, "they are fools who don't realize how lucky they were to have had such a remarkable girl living with them."

"Really?" She had a hard time believing that, seeing as she had never really _done_ anything on her own…

"You are a brave child," he whispered softly, "to be able to suffer so much abuse and come out so kind and selfless, and to hide your pain so thoroughly to try and keep from hindering others. Before coming to the Wizarding World, only three other times have I ever met children so pure, and then two of those three are rather… rough. I can easily say I certainly wasn't so giving at your age."

"What? But there's plenty of people like that!" she protested, confused.

"There are many people who have been raised to be saints," he conceded, "but there are very few who can live through an abusive household and not be violent and bitter towards society."

Liana couldn't protest to this, she knew this well from Hermione's exclaiming after she had found out about the Dursleys' treatment of her.

"However, even the best of people have flaws," he said, shifting so she was facing him properly, "and everyone makes mistakes. That is why we have discipline."

She cringed at the word. In her childhood, the word 'discipline' had often been associated with a beating of some sort. Often, she would end up lying in her cupboard for days before she would heal, simply bleeding herself dry and hoping her uncle wouldn't decide she had done something else wrong.

He reached out and gently smoothed her hair down. "Liana, you know very well I am nothing like those Dursleys. I will never mistreat you the way they did. After losing my mother and my wife, and nearly losing my sister, I do not think I would be able to bear estranging my only daughter."

She nodded, feeling her eyes prickle uncomfortably for some reason. Perhaps it had finally sunk in that someone genuinely cared for her well being.

"Unfortunately, the fact remains that you shouldn't have left earlier today," he said sternly. He was a man who always had control of the situation, and he wouldn't let himself be distracted for too long. That didn't mean that he couldn't be kind, however. "I do not want you to be anywhere other than your room, the dining room, or the library for the next week."

"Week?" she blinked. She didn't know much, but she knew that she was most definitely getting off easy.

She could have sworn she saw the ghost of a smile. "Yes, a week. Perhaps if you behave, I will allow your friends to visit afterward."

"Yes, Father," she smiled as something in her stomach clenched, craving to feel his embrace again, but not sure whether or not to initiate it.

"Good." He stroked her hair, a fond look in his eyes, before standing up and leaving. He had to try and calm down a room of upset wizards and witches downstairs, after all.


	14. Families are Troublesome

I do not own anything

The world has not ended yet. That's good... I think.

Why does there have to be a three week break in the manga? Ugh...

Anyway, enjoy the next chapter!

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><p>"But what's the point? You two hated each other on sight, but you never even met before that! I don't get it..." Liana mumbled. In the past week, she had managed to get through her grounding well enough, and, true to his word, her father had convinced Mrs. Weasley to let Ron and Hermione to come over for a day. The girls were currently trying to convince the boys to at least <em>try<em> and be friends, as neither really understood the purpose of the Malfoy/Weasley rivalry.

Their debate was interrupted as they heard her father speak in a dialect that was most certainly _not_ English, or European for that matter.

"_-Shihoin Yoruichi ka?" _The four teens stilled before Liana peeked into an open doorway. She recognized the kido around the door as ones that kept reiatsu in, so that no one would be able to sense it from the outside. Apparently, the door hadn't been closed all the way, and had opened on its own. She looked in to see her father facing a large, disgusting looking purple screen. On the screen were two rows of people in a similar outfit to what her father was wearing in the Department of Mysteries, with an old man sitting at the end of the make shift path.

"Shihoin Yoruichi wa daijobu desu," he said, not taking his eyes off the screen. "Rokubantai ka?"

Liana whispered a translation charm on the door so her friends could understand.

"Squad six is fine, sir," a redheaded man said from next to the braided woman Liana recognized from Yoruichi's memories. "Rikichi's been having trouble with the hell butterflies, but that always happens."

"What is the last thing you heard from Shihoin?" he asked.

"Lady Yoruichi sent a butterfly this morning," a short, severe looking woman reported from near the end of the left line. "She has recovered from the Avada Kedavra curse Riddle put on her and has reported that Riddle plans on attacking the Hogwarts school near the end of the spring school term."

"It seems Riddle is still leaving the major attacks to the end of the school year," a creepy, clown-like man grinned eerily from the other side of the row. "My research indicates that two of his horcruxes have been destroyed and the other five have been gathered. One is obviously the one that had been embedded into Kuchiki-taicho's daughter. The other is some old diary he made when he was sixteen." His nonchalant wave of the hand indicated how little he cared for the diary that had made their second year living hell. "Riddle doesn't seem to know of this, and it looks like it was Shihoin who got them."

"Do we know what she is planning to do with them?" asked the braided woman.

"Given her tendency to show off and general personality, I believe she is planning on using one of the forbidden kido to destroy them all at once during the battle at Hogwarts," her father said. "Has she been given proper authorization?"

"Yoruichi Shihoin has been given permission to use Hado ninety: Black Coffin for only this purpose," the old man said. "After Riddle has been defeated both she and you, Captain Kuchiki, will be ordered to return to the Seireitei."

"What of the rest of my daughter's education?" he asked. "Or her companions here in the World of the Living? Surely, captain commander, you cannot expect for Liana to be so obedient so as to come without a word? Shihoin has mentioned many times that she has inherited my temper and stubbornness. She will not want to leave her friends before finishing school."

"I understand this is partially a matter of the Kuchiki family, but I believe you have been absent from the Seireitei for far too long now, Captain Kuchiki. My decision stands," he said firmly.

"A thousand apologies, captain commander, but I cannot force my daughter to move to the Seireitei like this," he said, a long lost glint shining in his eyes, only recognized by those who knew him as a child. "And I will not. Ever."

"If you do not do as you are ordered, Captain Kuchiki, then I will have no choice but to bring you back myself," he declared.

"As you said, captain commander, this is a matter of the Kuchiki family," he repeated. "With all due respect, sir, I am afraid you do not have the authority to force the head of the Kuchiki family to the Seireitei when he has business he has yet to complete, nor do you have the ability to alienate the only heir to one of the Four Great Noble Families from her clan. As both her father and her head, I have all say over her education, and I wish for Liana to finish her education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. To ensure this, I will be staying in England to supervise."

"How interesting," the clown man sneered. "I seem to recall that you hated that place, Captain Kuchiki. I find it hard to believe you would want your own _daughter _to attend it."

"Opinions are rather easily changed, Kurotsutchi-taicho," he said coldly. "I would think that you know that better than the most of us, considering you went from being a despised prisoner of utmost security to the revered Deputy Department Head of the Department of Research and Development."

The old man's cane rammed into the ground. "That was uncalled for, Captain Kuchiki!" he admonished. "Enough of this foolishness. You gave an oath when you first joined the Thirteen Imperial Guard Squads that you would follow your orders without question."

"Not when those orders interfere with my family," he replied. "I may have given such an oath, captain commander, and I may be bound to the will of the Imperial Guard Squads, but my daughter has given no such commitment, and until she does, I will not allow it any amount of control in her life.

"The fighting forces of the Soul Society have no place interfering with the nobility, much less one of the Great Families. One of the reasons for the existence of the Thirteen Imperial Guard Squads is to protect our king, and by extension, our nobility, who are placed directly below him. By ordering me to return to the Seireitei, you are telling me to either drag my daughter there, where she will never truly be happy, or to abandon her here, where she would be put back into the care of abusive bastards who have no right to have a child in their custody," he said, his wording showing exactly how strongly he felt about all this. "The entire reason I have been in Magical Britain for so long is for her, as I told young Mr. Weasley just over a week ago. In any case, what of the Potter and Black accounts?"

"What about them?" a large, pirate-like man yawned.

"Not only is Liana the only known heir to the Kuchiki Clan, but to the Potter and Black families as well, both of which are incredibly wealthy. She is beyond inexperienced in how to manage them, and will have to deal with both eventually. It would be incredibly impractical to try and manage them from the Seireitei before arranging something, which could take over a year, and she would not be able to do so on her own.

"She is also a very well known figure in the Wizarding World, as we all know. Before she had Dumbledore to keep the media from her, and at the moment I am doing so. She does not know how to ward off the press, and given the seats the Houses of Potter and Black have in the Wizengamot, she will be thrown into the political world as well, where she will be used and eaten alive." Sadly, he was being extremely realistic about this.

"I will not allow for such things to befall my only child. I do not care whether or not the Thirteen Imperial Guard Squads view this as treason. As a noble, I was raised to believe that the well being of the Kuchiki Family comes before everything else, and I will never abandon my daughter."

A laid back looking man with scruffy brown hair pulled back in a low ponytail chuckled lowly. "C'mon, Old Man Yama, you can't win with him. We all know that Ginrei taught him how to play political games, and how to find loopholes in _everything_. Take a good look at him. It looks like the World of the Living somehow managed to bring his spirit back, and we know how bad it gets when you argue with him then. Remember when he wanted to marry Hisana? He's never gonna give up, and frankly, I agree with him."

"I'm sorry, Master Genryusai, but I agree as well," a man with long white hair said sheepishly.

"It would be awful if another one of our noble families fell, captain commander," the braided woman smiled sweetly.

The old man grumbled before sighing. "Very well, Captain Kuchiki. You may stay in the World of the Living until your daughter has graduated from Hogwarts School. But only until then."

He inclined his head. "Understood."

"Wow, mate," Ron said in awe as they drew away from the door. "Treason? I know Mum and Dad would do that too – they _did_ do it, actually – but they've known you for six years now. Your dad's only known he had a kid for about a year!"

"Looks like he's really committed," Hermione whispered before glancing up and asking, "Isn't that your cousin?"

The other teens looked up to see Dudley swaggering towards them as though he owned the place. "Oy, Potter!" he bellowed as talk inside the room ceased. "If you can have friends here, so can I," he claimed arrogantly. "Get Piers here."

"Bugger off, Diddykins," she drawled, rolling her eyes. "Even if I could, I wouldn't bring Rat boy. I _hate_ rats."

"Make me," he sneered. "What can a bunch of _freaks_ do?"

"Don't make me hex you," she growled.

The blond scowled. "Braver here than you were before, aren't you, freak? I remember, y'know. The way you were always moaning at night." His pitch rose in a poor imitation of Liana's voice as he made a screeching sound, "'No, don't kill Cedric! Don't kill Cedric! Help me! He's gonna kill him!'"

"Shut up!" she snarled, her wand falling into her hand.

"Put that thing away!" he demanded. "You're not allowed! You'll get expelled from that freak school you – PUT THAT THING AWAY!" he hollered, hysteria growing as she held it level with his head. "I-I'LL TELL DAD! _PUT THAT THING AWAY!"_

"What can your dad do?" she yelled. "He isn't even here!"

"I SWEAR I'LL TELL DAD! HE'LL BEAT YOU TO DEATH! _PUT IT AWAY! I SWEAR I'LL TELL DAD! HE'LL F*CKIN KILL YOU, YA LITTLE __**FREAK!**__"_

"Impendimenta!" The boy squealed as he was thrown back.

His bushy-haired attacker blinked before admitting, "That felt good."

"Wicked, Hermione," Ron grinned. "Second blond git you've gotten, that is."

"Thanks, Weasley," Draco said sarcastically.

"What on Earth are you doing?" The door fully opened as gray eyes narrowed, flickering momentarily to the cowering bully.

"Nothing of importance, Lord Kuchiki," Draco said smoothly. "Dursley just decided to bring up a few things he shouldn't have and Hermione made sure to show him his place."

He didn't seem to believe this was the whole truth, but really didn't care as far as the Dursley boy was concerned. "Try not to make so much noise then," he said sternly before shutting the door.

"The doors are soundproof," Liana said, canceling the translation charm. "He probably locked it. Let's get out of here before his parents," she jerked her head at Dudley, "get here."

~oOo~

The rest of summer break was much more bearable for Liana. A week before September 1st, her father received a letter at breakfast.

"What is it?" she asked curiously.

"'Dear Lord Kuchiki,'" he read aloud, "'Due to the fact that one of the two of the magically capable persons in your household will be relocated at eleven o'clock, September 1st (thus losing half of the battle able persons within your home), the Ministry of Magic has made arrangements with Headmistress Minerva McGonagall to, for their own protection, escort Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley Dursley to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An official will meet you at Platform 9 ¾.

Please have a good day,  
>Department of Magical Families<br>Christopher Enoch'"

"My family and I are _not_ going to that freak school!" Vernon snarled. "It's bad enough being here."

"Trust me, we don't want you there," Liana said dryly. "Why can't they just stay here?"

Her father sighed. "The servants here have never been trained for anything but their chores. Should death eaters attack while you are gone, I will be the only one here capable of fighting them with any hope of succeeding."

"So what? Are all the half-blood and muggle born families coming too?" she asked, not really expecting a positive answer.

"No. I imagine the only reason for these measures is because they are concerned about the relatives of the Girl-Who-Lived, and they decided the lowly shinigami are not trustworthy enough to properly defend them," he said somewhat bitterly.

"The Ministry's always been bollocks," she shrugged. "I guess it didn't change, even though Fudge is out of office."

"No." He shook his head. "It's human nature to fear and distrust what you cannot understand." He glanced at the Dursleys, they were a prime example.

"That sucks."

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><p>Bad ending, I know, but it seemed to be the best place to end the chapter...<p>

Review!


	15. The Dursleys at Hogwarts

I do not own anything

... Apparently everyone's ignoring the facebook I made...

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><p>Platform 9 ¾ was a mess. That was a fact that had held true since the creation of the platform. It wasn't made any better by Vernon Dursley shouting obscenities the entire way, even on the muggle platform, thus gaining the bystanders' attention. When they realized Liana was with him, there was an overload of staring as people struggled to get close.<p>

"Excuse me! I need to get through, please! I am a Hogwarts Professor!" they heard someone squeak. Eventually, a tiny dwarven man Liana recognized as Professor Flitwick of Charms squeezed through the crowd. "Oh, my! It seems that this is all more popular than we expected!"

"Professor Flitwick? What are you doing here?" she asked, puzzled.

He gave her a cheerful smile. "Professor McGonagall asked me to come and bring your relatives to Hogwarts, Miss Potter! We're going by Portkey today, would you like to come too?"

"Er…" She glanced at her reddening uncle. "No, thank you, Professor. I'd rather go on the train with my friends."

"If you are going on the train, be careful," her father said for the second year in a row. "It is very possible it may be attacked on the way there."

"Yes, Father," she said.

Flitwick beamed before turning to the Dursleys. "Hello, there! I am Professor Filius Flitwick, I'm the Charms professor at Hogwarts!"

"H-hello," Petunia said hesitantly, glancing nervously at her husband.

"You must be Vernon and Petunia Dursley, and I take it this is Dudley!" He pulled out a foot long stick, "I'm sorry, but we don't really have much time to waste… Hold onto this, please." He waited patiently as the three carefully grabbed it. "Three… two… one." They were gone.

~oOo~

Liana sighed of relief as, for the first time since her renegade trip to Hogsmeade, she was undoubtedly free of her relatives' company, at least for now, in one of the train's empty compartments.

Ron and Hermione quickly found her, as did Draco. The students of Hogwarts were still having a bit of a hard time trying to understand why the two of them were so friendly, but now with two years of students who never experienced the rivalry firsthand, it would hopefully fade away by the end of the year.

The ride itself passed along much too quickly, in her opinion at least. Of course, that may be because she was, for once, dreading her arrival at Hogwarts. With everyone staring more than usual (possibly even more than in her first year), and her relatives… well, she probably wasn't going to enjoy it.

It was with nervous anticipation she stepped off the carriage, and then dread as she saw three extra seats at the Head Table, already filled.

She didn't even hear most of McGonagall's speech, only forcing herself to pay attention when she gestured to the portly middle-aged man in the seat Professor Snape was usually in.

"Please welcome Professor Horace Slughorn," she said in her heavy Scotts accent, "who has kindly come out of retirement to take the job of Potions professor. Professor Snape," she nodded to the black garbed man, "has taken the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."

Whispers sprung up among the students. It was well known Professor Snape had repeatedly applied for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post since his first teaching year, fifteen years ago.

McGonagall waited until the whispers ceased before continuing, "The Board of Directors has decided that, in the current climate, it wouldn't be best to hire any staff we do not personally know, thus I will still be teaching Transfiguration. Hopefully, we may hire new staff next year. Now then, I am sure you have noticed our guests by now." Vernon started grumbling.

"These are Vernon and Petunia Dursley, and their son, Dudley Dursley. As I am sure many of you know, all thanks given to the Daily Prophet, they are the muggle relatives of one of our students. Please treat them kindly."

"We do _not_ need _kindness _from a bunch of freaks!" the whale like man said loudly. "We wouldn't even be in this mess if it wasn't for that stupid Potter girl!" He snarled at the girl in question, who had her head lowered, using her hair as a protective curtain of sorts.

"Mr. Dursley, if you would please save this for later," the newly appointed headmistress said disapprovingly.

"You can't tell me and my family what to do, _freak!" _He got up and started storming down the aisle made between tables. "And you!" His piggy eyes narrowed at the terrified girl. "We never should have brought you in! If anything, we should have drowned you the first day we found you!"

Emerald eyes peeked out from midnight black as she stiffened, not making a sound.

"Get away from her!" Ron demanded, standing up with his wand in hand. "If anyone here's a freak, it's you!"

He yelled something unintelligible before grabbing a knife from one of the nearby tables and hurling it at her as hard as he could.

Liana looked up to see the projectile as memories of similar scenes poured into her mind. She threw her arms over her head and screamed, no longer the Girl-Who-Lived, no longer the Chosen One, not even Liana Potter, but simply an abused child who was scared out of her mind.

"Protego!" This came from not the Gryffindor table, but the Slytherin one, as Draco Malfoy had stood up and thrown up the shield, even from so far away. "I admit not all muggles may be horrid," he spat, "but you're one of the most despicable excuses for a human being I've ever seen! Get away from her you stupid, fat, useless muggle! Or I'll curse you until you beg for death!"

The rest of the DA stood as well, protective of their unofficial leader, as the remainder of the student population started murmuring.

"Freaks deserve their beatings!" he roared. "You're just a freak, just like her! You can't tell me what to do!"

"Don't call her a freak!" the blond shouted, quickly making his way over to the fat muggle. "She's not a freak! No one here is a freak except you and your family! A trio of stupid xenophobic muggles who'd rather beat a child than look past their own idiotic ideals! That's all you are, Dursley, now get away from her!" The tip of his wand was now pushing into the folds of fat that padded the muggle's body.

Liana was stiff in fear. Hermione and Ginny tried to comfort her while Ron and Neville glared at the man. None of them this, not at all.

"Mr. Malfoy, that's enough!" McGonagall snapped. "Mr. Dursley, please sit down."

The platinum blond glowered but obeyed, as did the muggle when she sent him a severe look.

The rest of the feast went by in tension, Draco glaring darkly at the muggles every chance he got.

Ron spoke up on their way back to the common room, "Did you see the way Malfoy was yelling? Bloody hell, I can't believe this is the same git we all hated two years ago."

"People change, Ronald," Hermione sniffed before giggling, "And after a year of coming over to your house and talking to you at school, I think he may fancy you, Liana."

"What?" she sputtered. "No way! Look, let's just get to bed. It's getting late and I'm tired."

"Alright," she nodded.

Unfortunately, the dormitory proved to be a bit of a problem. Pity Lavender and Parvati were so dramatic.

"Look," Hermione snapped when they started wondering what Professor Trelawny would think of the exchange, "We've all had a long day, and classes start tomorrow. Either save this for later, or forget about it."

They glared at her sulkily, but Liana sent her a grateful smile before pulling her curtains closed. Another year at Hogwarts had begun.

~oOo~

Byakuya sighed as he signed the last of the letters. Even though it was over a year after he had first seen it, he had been extremely busy, and had only just managed to make enough time for the Potters' official will reading. He quickly sent the last message – this one in the form of a hell butterfly – before delving back into his paperwork.

Now all he had to do was wait until All Hallows' Eve.


	16. The Wills of the Righteous

I do not own anything

I was lying in bed for about half an hour before I realized it was the weekend.

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><p>Liana was a bit worried when she read that all recipients of the will would be required to either attend the reading, or send a representative in their stead. She would be going with Professor Snape and Aunt Petunia, as they were both to receive something, or at least be a possible recipient. If things turned out the way she thought they would, this would not end well.<p>

The day of the reading, the Potions Master ushered her and the horse-faced woman through the floo to the Leaky Cauldron. Liana was then given a cloak to conceal her identity until they got to Gringotts.

When they got there, she saw Sirius and Remus conversing quietly, a stern looking woman with a monocle, her father, and a man who looked strangely familiar.

Her father caught her gaze and nodded her over.

"This is Liana, my daughter," he introduced. "Liana, this is Lord Daiki Shihoin, Yoruichi Shihoin's father. Due to her unmarried status, he is the acting lord, and until further notice, head of the Shihoin family."

"It's nice to meet you, sir," she said politely, suddenly remembering him from Yoruichi's memory of her first meeting with her grandfather.

The man gave her a warm smile. "Likewise. It's a pleasure to meet the only heir the Kuchiki family has had in over twenty years."

"Sirius!" Their attention was suddenly diverted to where an exasperated Remus was trying to reason with the dog animagus. "Let it go. I know you're still mad at her, but she has valid reason for doing what she did; hr past proves it. It's not like your attitude towards her has helped anything."

"Valid reason? In who's mind?" he raged. "That bloody wh*re doesn't deserve anything from anyone! Much less good people like Lily and James."

"Are you insinuating something about my daughter, Lord Black?" the golden eyed man asked.

The two Marauders turned, looking surprised at seeing the man for the first time in years. "Er… no, of course not, Lord Shihoin," Remus said hurriedly, stepping on the other man's feet. "You know how Sirius gets… too rash and bigmouthed."

"Hmm… I suppose. I must admit, I am not overly pleased with her actions either," he admitted.

"You aren't?" From what he had seen, he had expected this man to stand by his daughter no matter what went down.

"To fool an entire band of people, only to betray them." He shook his head. "I understand the necessity for one or two people, but this many? And so thoroughly as well… it rather reminds me of a man named Gin Ichimaru."

"Indeed," Byakuya nodded before glancing at his daughter. "Liana would be in a similar situation as Rangiku Matsumoto. I had thought your daughter's maternal instincts had surfaced when with her. Though I imagine she understands quite a bit more than Matsumoto did. Your daughter and I have given her a basic understanding of the dealings of the Shihoin Family."

"Did you?" he asked conversationally. "I suppose that would make all of this considerably easier… It's a pity Yoruichi decided to do this so openly, though. Of course, she has always had a flare for the dramatics."

"As well as a mischievous streak that could wrap around the Earth three times over," he said dryly. "I truly pity whichever death eater it is who has to deal with her antics."

He laughed. "I'm afraid I have to agree. The only ones who have ever been able to truly control her is myself, my wife, the captain commander, and Captain Unohana."

Their conversation was interrupted by a goblin Liana recognized as Griphook poking his head into the room. "Master Pentex is ready for you," he said gruffly, before leading them into a rather spacious room with a row of chairs and a podium.

"'_The Final Will and Testament of James Charles Potter and Lily Marie Potter née Evans_

_We, James Charles Potter and Lily Marie Potter née Evans, of sound mind, body, and magic, give our Final Will and Testament. This Will hereby revokes, cancel and annul all previous wills and codicils made previously by us either jointly or separately.'" _Pentex read aloud.

"'_In the event of the demise of both James Charles and Lily Marie, their adopted daughter, Liana Lily Potter's guardianship is to go to the following people in this order:_

_ 1. Sirius Black  
>2. Alice Longbottom<br>3. Severus Snape  
>4. Amelia Bones<br>5. Any wizarding family (as long as they have NEVER been affiliated with the Dark Arts with the option not to and have no criminal records or anything that might make her unhappy)_

_Should her birth family be found before she is of age, guardianship is to immediately go to them, regardless of who her current guardian is. Under no circumstances is she to go to Petunia Florence Dursley née Evans as she and her husband, Vernon Dursley, loathe all things magical, or Peter Pettigrew, who was our secret keeper and the only one capable of giving away our location. The guardian, if not her birth parents, in which case they will have full control of the Potter vaults, will be given an allowance of 50,000 galleons a year from the main Potter vault to make sure Liana is well cared for._

_We hereby leave Remus John Lupin two million galleons. Go get a house, buy some clothes, and grab a girl with those werewolf charms of yours so we can have little Moonys running around!'"_

Remus choked something between a laugh and a cry. That was just like James…

"'_We leave Sirius Orion Black the five black notebooks labeled 'Marauders'. They should be held in the main Potter vault. Run around and corrupt generations to come, Paddy!'"_

He grinned despite the tears glinting in his eyes. He was going to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes later on to plot with Fred and George.

"'_We leave Arthur and Molly Weasley 300,000 galleons. We know you guys have six children, and another little one on the way. Use the money to help support them._

_We give Aberforth Dumbledore 30,000 galleons. Say sorry to Professor Dumbledore, please, but we figure it isn't fair if he has all of the Dumbledore fortune while you run the Hog's Head.'"_

The man who Liana recognized as the barman from the Hog's Head snorted. She could have sworn she heard him mutter, "Not bloody likely."

"'_We give Petunia Florence Dursley the letter in the blue envelope. At the time this will is read, it should be sent to her by a delayed owl.'"_

A screech owl flew into the room and dropped the letter on her head before flying away. Pale faced, she let it fall to the floor.

"'_If reachable, we leave Yoruichi Shihoin James Potter's deepest regrets she fell out with the Marauders, and Lily Potter's hopes she has lived well thus far and a greeting from a friend. As she has made it clear that her family is more than financially stable, we will not leave her any physical items._

_Finally, we give Liana Lily Potter all of the remaining Potter properties, fortunes, artifacts, etc., etc., etc. We may not have been your real parents, Liana, but we loved every minute we had you in our lives._

_Also, nothing is returnable. Hah! Take that Moony! You finally can't say no!_

_Signed,  
>James Potter and Lily Potter née Evans<em>

_May 27__th__, 1981'"_

"There was also another part of the will Gringotts found just this morning," Pentex announced, pulling out another piece of parchment.

"'_This is the second part of the will of James Charles Potter and Lily Marie Potter née Evans, to be fulfilled in accordance with the Final Will and Testament made on May 27th, 1981._

_To Severus Snape, Lily Potter leaves duplicates of her potions notes and childhood photo albums, as well as her forgiveness and hope to meet in the afterlife.'"_

"Something can be arranged," Daiki murmured.

"'_To Petunia Florence Dursley, we leave Lily's wish they hadn't grown apart and a hope her family's well, as well as James' annoyance at her and her husband ruining their wedding with shouts of 'Freaks!' at the reception._

_To Yoruichi Shihoin, they leave a Pendant of Confidence, to thank her for years of her friendship and companionship._

_Signed,_

_James Potter and Lily Potter née Evans_

_September 26th, 1981'"_

The goblins approached the dour professor with several old, thick texts, which he treated like priceless treasures, and Daiki with a golden pendant of a dove sitting on a lion.

He chuckled slightly, "She was always fond of those two. I suppose it makes sense that she gets something like this." Sirius' muttering became a bit more pronounced.

"What's it for?" Liana asked curiously. She doubted it was simply just an accessory.

"This pendant gives whoever is wearing it all of the rights of the family it was from, save the name," Daiki summarized. "It is mainly for those who are either trusted beyond a doubt, or children they are, for some reason, unable to adopt. This makes Yoruichi a sister to the Potters in all but blood."

"Of course, she doesn't need to know this," Byakuya cut in. "As she is now within Riddle's ranks, it would be disastrous if she and her master discovered such a connection to the Potter family."

Daiki nodded. "I will bring this home with me. I will wait until Yoruichi is with us again before telling her."


	17. The Slug Club

I do not own anything

Wow... just, wow. I have to say, when I looked at this last Sunday and saw 98 reviews (100 now), I was _completely_ blown away. I knew this was my most popular story (to date), but... wow. I'd just like to say thank you so much for all your support! I really appreciate it!

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><p>Liana sighed as she read the invitation to the 'Slug Club'. It was the second she had gotten so far – the first being in late September and awkward beyond all belief – and was for a dinner followed by a party on the following Friday.<p>

"You got one too?" She looked up to see white-blond hair and stormy gray eyes, holding an identical invitation to hers.

"Yeah." She rolled her eyes. "I have to go, otherwise Professor Slughorn would bug me for all eternity. Too bad a date's required.

"Why don't we go together?" he asked as casually as he could. "I mean, I'd rather go with you than with Pansy or Milicent, and I never liked Daphne and Tracey much, anyway."

Her cheeks stained red. "Are you asking me out?"

"I suppose I am," he grinned impishly, trying to hide his nervousness, before gesturing to where Ron and Hermione were blushing, and then to where Ginny and Neville were quietly holding hands. "I might as well, after all – it looks like everyone's feeling a bit daring today."

"I suppose we can go together," she mumbled shyly before groaning, "When people hear about this…"

"We'll ignore them," he finished for her. "Just like we've been doing for two years now."

She snorted. "When the Prophet gets a hold of this, we're doomed."

"I never thought you were such a pessimist," he teased.

"I gotta give the public what they want." She rolled her eyes. "But I wish they would stop stalking a sixteen year old girl and just get on with their lives."

"Some people are just like that," he shrugged before checking the time. "I need to get to Transfiguration. I'll see you later."

"Bye, Draco! See ya!" she called to his retreating figure. She hovered there for a moment before dashing to Gryffindor Tower to pick through her dresses.

~oOo~

Friday came very quickly for the young Gryffindor, and she soon found herself meeting her friend in front of the Tower.

"You look incredible," he said, astonished. For that night, Liana was dressed in a lightweight, floor length evening gown that was a deep forest green that complimented her eyes and clung to just the right places. It had a V-neck collar that left her shoulders bare. The collar was accented with a thick, black fabric that made a larger V around it. The fabric near the bottom spilled out so it flowed around her ankles when she walked. The entire thing was sparkling as though it had tiny sequins stitched in at one inch intervals. Her hair was twisted into a side bun with a few strands framing her face elegantly.

"Hermione, Ginny, and I have been working since class ended," she smiled in way of explanation. "And you don't look so bad yourself. Hey, at least we match." He was wearing a formally cut black blazer with silver buttons that had tiny snakes engraved into them. Underneath was a pastel green long sleeve dress shirt that were tucked into his black dress pants. His hair wasn't slicked back, as usual, but gently tousled that made it look irresistibly soft with his bangs slanted across his forehead, all the while maintaining his 'holier-than-thou' image. "I think I like your hair better this way."

"Don't get used to it," he rolled his eyes. "Let's get going." He offered her his arm and lead the way to the dungeons.

Dinner conversation mainly consisted of Professor Slughorn chatting exuberantly with the students. They learned that, if flattered enough, the portly man would spill anything, so long as he had the ability to. His tongue was further loosened by the generous amounts of wine he gulped down. He was rather like Hagrid in that respect. Needless to say, they were certainly going to use this to their advantage.

"How are you taking Lady Shihoin's betrayal, Miss Potter?" he asked sympathetically around dessert when topics had switched to the war. "It must be terrible for you… I heard you were very close."

"It's fine, Professor," she smiled, inwardly amused at the fact she saw no betrayal. "I understand her reasoning. I don't hold anything against Yoruichi."

"Yes, yes, a very good girl you are," he beamed. "Such a pity, though… she had such potential! Became the youngest animagus in history, you know, Right here at Hogwarts in her third year… or I think she was, at least… always so kind and lively too. Up until that day in her fifth year, anyway." He smiled cheerfully. "Speaking of her fifth year, we had a ball then, you know! Of course, like the Triwizard champions two years ago, Dumbledore had the two best dancers in the school open the ball and preform a series of dances. Very fast changes, I remember. They went from waltz to tango in the blink of an eye!… or at least, I think that was the tango… Of course, the two dancing were your father, Mr. Malfoy, and Yoruichi…"

"My father dancing with _her_?" He somehow doubted this.

"Oh, yes. Neither were very pleased, but Dumbledore insisted. Of course, afterward he said some terrible things about her family… it fueled the rumor mill for a month, it did… she struck him quiet hard and then left to dance with Sirius Black."

"That's possible?" Ron snorted. "Sirius seems to hate her too much to dance with her."

"Ah, well, at the time they were the best of friends," he chuckled. "It's too bad it all fell apart… some of the students claimed he would propose by graduation! Of course, that incident ruined the chances of that…" He sighed. "Such a waste of potential… she had fallen into some kind of depression, you know… her parents said she was prone to bottling up her emotions and putting on an act… I heard her bed was soaked with blood! Not hard to imagine, I suppose, the way Lily Evans came in…"

"What happened, Professor?" asked Michael Corner.

"I'm not too sure, myself, Mr. Corner, but I have heard she was upset over what had happened to Miss Potter's father the previous year," he nodded at her, "and something had happened between her and Mr. Black over the summer. Whatever it was certainly wasn't very good. She became very reclusive that year, and mostly kept to her studies. There was a sudden chasm between her and Mr. Black and his friends. She refused to speak to them, no matter the circumstances. If she had to, then the only ones she would talk to were James Potter and Peter Pettigrew. They say, Mr. Longbottom, it was your mother and Lily who found her. Miss Evans said she was unconscious and had a blade with her, and had cut deep into her wrists. She tried some muggle healing, and every spare cloth in the room was bloodstained."

Zacharias Smith looked green.

Slughorn nodded. "They said she had tried to attack Dumbledore in the Hospital Wing, though I'm certain that's just a rumor the students at the time ground together. You could hear her crying, even out by the grounds! It just doesn't seem all that logical for one to cry so much and attack someone at the same time."

"But that's just it," Draco frowned. "She _isn't_ logical. In everything she's done, what part of it is logical?"

No one had an answer for him as the subject turned to Nearless Headless Nick's 505th deathday party.

The rest of the night passed in a blur, and Liana soon found herself in front of Gryffindor Tower again.

"I had a really good time," she smiled happily. Despite being distracted by missing her mentor, she had managed to have fun.

Draco grinned, "I did too. Maybe we should do it again sometime? Anyway, I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow." He turned to go, but Liana grabbed his wrist.

"Wait." She reached into a purse she had been carrying and pulled out a small mirror. "Duplico," she handed the new one to him. "Here. Just say my name and I'll be in the mirror. Careful, though, Sirius has the other one."

"Thanks." He slid it into a pocket and smirked at her before turning to leave.

Liana turned to the Fat Lady, sleepy but happy with how the day had gone by. "Mimbulus mimbletonia."

~oOo~

The day after the minor debate, the residents of Hogwarts were treated to the sight of a delicate black butterfly tinkling through the air and towards the Gryffindors' table.

Liana looked up from where she had just finished braiding her hair before holding up her finger as a perch. Her father's voice echoed into her mind.

"_It has been confirmed to be in early May. You may not stay at Hogwarts or go to Grimmauld Place over holidays. You may bring those trustworthy with you, but we will be training as much as possible, so you may not see much of them unless they are willing to train as well. The Dursleys may do what they will for their holiday lodgings._

_You may be with Mr. Malfoy if you wish, so long as you are careful. I do not want for you to somehow conceive a child with the Malfoy heir when you are both still children yourselves."_

She flushed at the last part and relayed the date estimate to Ron, Ginny, and Hermione before whispering the second part to the latter two. Both girls assured her it was to be expected with protective male relatives, but she still couldn't look at Draco without blushing until dinner.

The rumor mill ate it all up.


	18. Of Christmas and Cellphones

I do not own anything

My orchestra is playing at a region-wide contest on Tuesday. Wish us luck!

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><p>It was a relief when Christmas break came. Liana had convinced Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Luna to come with her for the holidays, and Draco was grouped together with them on the train, if only for convenience.<p>

As the students approached her father and the elder Malfoys, her father raised an eyebrow. "Exactly how many arms do you think I have?" he questioned. "How on Earth are we going to get all of you there?"

She blushed. "You told me to bring people I trusted."

"It seems we won't be able to Apparate, then," he said dryly. "I suppose we will take the Knight Bus instead."

Ron blanched. He really hated that bus…

Her father led them to a more secluded part of the platform before summoning the bus. Liana grimaced, remembering how rocky it was from her third year, and told Hermione to secure all loose items. Draco smirked at her before disappearing with his parents, to which she pouted.

"Where to," asked Stan as he levitated the luggage onto the bus.

"Hunstanton," he said, opting to remain standing rather than sit down. The kids did so, immediately, as he shrunk the bags and placed them into a small pouch.

"Righ' 'way, sir," he grinned. "'Ear that, Ern? Hunstanton!"

The kids clung tightly to their seats as Byakuya gripped the railing, occasionally shifting so the momentum wouldn't pitch him forward or backward.

Ron was the first off the bus and emptied his stomach on the sidewalk, the rest followed in a more sedate, but no less dizzy way.

Byakuya stepped off the bus and closed his eyes for a few moments, fighting off the dizziness and nausea, before handing the redheaded boy a stomach soother.

"Thank you," he gasped.

"That was quite fun, wasn't it?" Luna chirped. "Shall we be using the Knight Bus again on the return trip, Lord Kuchiki?"

"No, Miss Lovegood," he denied. "I believe I shall take advantage of the time we have and arrange for a less chaotic means of transport. Now, however, we still need to make it to the manor." After making sure Ron was alright, he hailed a muggle taxi (a van, thank god, otherwise there wouldn't be enough room) and ushered them all in.

After half an hour of driving, the car stopped in what appeared to be the middle of nowhere. He quickly payed the driver and waved him off.

"So… now what?" Ron asked uncomfortably. "I'm pretty sure this isn't the place."

"No, it isn't," he agreed before materializing his zanpakuto. "I want three of you hold onto Senbonzakura. It would take much less time to shunpo than it would to walk the entire way there. We are at the end of the wards right now."

"Do you hear something?" Ginny asked when they appeared on the snow covered lawn, looking around as something started beeping.

He gave a sigh and pulled out a silver device Hermione and Liana recognized as a cell phone.

"I didn't know he had a cell phone," Liana muttered.

"A what?" Ron repeated.

"A cellular telephone," Hermione explained. At the purebloods' confused looks, she tried something else, "Fellytone?"

"Oh," the redheads nodded in understanding while Luna still looked clueless.

"(What is it, Renji?)" he asked.

"_(Er… sorry to be bothering you, taicho, but… uh… you see, Ikkaku-san and I were training and I went bankai and we were still fighting and getting really into it-)"_

"(I do not need to hear the details of your training session, Abarai.)"

"_(Sorry, sir, but… er… one of my Hikotsu Taihos sorta… smashed into the barracks.)" _The last part was said very quickly.

"(What?)" His eyes widened as the children startled at his harsh tone.

"_(I swear I didn't mean to, sir! It just… sorta happened.)"_

His eyes narrowed, "(Fill out the paperwork for the repairs. Immediately. The costs will come out of your paycheck. Also, send me the paperwork to put you on probation. In no way will I let _any_ of my men destroy the squad barracks and get away unpunished.)"

"… _Hai."_

He hung up, inwardly cursing tattooed redheaded nuisances who couldn't control themselves during battle.

"Is he going to die, Lord Kuchiki?" Luna asked curiously. "You seemed awfully upset."

"Due to the circumstances, no, he will not die, at least not by my hand," he replied. "However, he may collapse of exhaustion at one point."

She nodded seriously before stooping to draw pictures in the snow.

"Luna, I don't think that's a good idea," Ginny said cautiously. "You might get a cold."

"And wouldn't you like to see if we have any information on those creatures of yours?" Byakuya asked, glancing down at the girl in bemusement.

She beamed. "I would love to! Maybe there's an easier way to get rid of the nargles."

"Lord Kuchiki," Hermione began as they trudged through the snow. "Was that a cell phone you were using?"

"No, but they were based off of them," he replied. "They are called Soul Pagers. Our Department of Research and Development took muggle cell phones and innovated it to fit our needs. It is now the more favored method of communication and sending orders between the shinigami stationed in the World of the Living and those who are still in the Seireitei."

"Do you know how they innovated them?" she asked. "If it isn't broken yet, then the soul pagers should be compatible with magic. Maybe if some muggleborn or half-blood could figure out how to make electricity compatible with magic, the Magical World might be able to catch up with the Muggle World in terms of technology!"

"They already have, in America," he said. "There are no blood prejudices in the Western Hemisphere. It's unfortunate. The modern technology the muggles have now will be crucial for them to survive if a war like this is revealed to their public. Most pureblood wizards and witches have no idea how quickly television and computers can relay information across the globe, nor do they know the power of a gun or tank, much less something on the level of the atomic bomb. The European Wizarding World will need to get over the blood prejudices before they are able to integrate themselves into muggle society."

At her crestfallen expression, he added, "That will likely be in the next twenty years, judging by how things are going now. Given the fact I have no intention of allowing any schoolchildren die during this war, it is highly likely you will live to see the muggle and magical worlds meld together, Miss Granger. In any case, I have no knowledge of how soul pagers are constructed, and I would rather not ask."

She nodded, a determined look on her face. She was going to spend the rest of her free time at Hogwarts scouring the library for any clues of how to do this. Perhaps she might be able to ask an Unspeakable after the war ended…

They entered the large manor, the warming charms placed on the entrance hall bringing a pleasant sensation.

"Go ahead and change, ask one of the servants if you need help finding your rooms. The house elves should have brought up your things by now. Lunch will be at noon, and dinner at six. No one will up up past ten thirty. Try not to destroy anything until then. If you do, fix it with a Reparo. If that does not work, bring it to me immediately." With that said, he quickly left for the training rooms, intent on shredding a few dummies for the sake of his lieutenant's incompetence.

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><p>We've hit roughly the 23 mark! *Sniff* I don't want this to end!

RSVP! (In this instance, it's review, not respondez ;P)


	19. Joy to the World!

I do not own anything

So, I was bored and looking through the Harry P./Severus S. fics on the HP archive, and I came across the fanfic that inspired me to write this fic in the first place. To be honest, I was too lazy to think of a different name for Liana when I started thinking about the plot when I got bored (I figured that it was just a random idea that would never make it onto fanfiction... not true, apparently) and could never bring myself to change it, so I stole her name too! That fic, ladies and gentlemen, is "His Precious Daughter" by court2010.

Another thing I'll randomly mention: Why am I so organized with the stuff on my computer but let everything I own pile onto my desk and leave three loads of laundry on my floor?

Kukuku... Here's the next (somewhat fillerish) chapter!

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><p>After having unpacked, Liana and her friends spent about two hours in the library, researching various things for personal benefit or holiday homework, trying to ignore the violent explosions that came every once in a while.<p>

"_Your father is a very passionate man. He always has been,"_ Yoruichi had said. _"He just hides it for the sake of personal and family reputation. He won't often lose it in public, but he'll probably blow something up at the end of the day, especially if he's upset about something."_

Strangely enough, he looked just as immaculate as always at lunch, despite the fact he was obviously angry with someone, judging from his reaction to the phone call.

Still, no one mentioned this, not even Ron, who had the least tact out of all of Hogwarts.

He allowed them the first day to settle in and get adjusted, but summoned Liana to the training room immediately after breakfast the next day. The others decided to tag along to watch.

"I want you to perform every hado you can remember, full incantation," he instructed, gesturing to the rows of targets. "And the same for bakudo if you have the energy. After lunch, you will do the same but in reverse order. It will help you learn the finer details of kido and bring up your endurance and reiryoku levels."

She nodded in understanding as her father cast a barrier around her friends so they wouldn't be affected by the backlash.

"Hado no ichi: Sho!" An invisible force pushed against the first target, snapping the target from the stand it was nailed to.

"Hado no yon: Byakurai!" A thin streak of lightning pierced the second, splintering the rounded wood into several pieces.

"Hado no juuichi: Tsuzuri Raiden!" An electrical current flowed through a metal wire on the floor that led to a tank. The grindylow inside was dead immediately.

"Hado no juuni: Fushibi!" The orange shot out and stuck to the target before exploding.

She took a deep breath as she continued. "Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Hado no san-juusan: Shakkaho!" The fireball catapulted from her outstretched palm, flying to the target and obliterating it, scorching what parts it didn't damage.

Her father flicked his wand, casting a spell to make the targets harder to damage as she went on.

"Hado no san-juuni: Okasen!" The yellow arc flew forwards, blasting apart the wood in front of her.

"Ye lord! Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws," she chanted, "Hado no san-juusan: Sokatsui!" She locked her arm in place as the blue fire sprang across the room.

"Hado no go-juuyon: Haien!" A white arc with a purple outline flew from her hands, turning into an orange fire blast as it reached the red and white circle.

"Hado no go-juuhachi: Tenran!" A tornado seemed to blast out from her palms, ripping apart the target. Luckily, it was about ten feet from everything else in the room.

"Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle! Hado no roku-juusan: Raikoho!" She braced her feet into the floor as the bolt of lightning cracked across the room, sparks of electricity occasionally flying out from it.

"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens! Hado no nana-juusan: Soren Sokatsui!" Her eyes shut and she gritted her teeth as the two blasts of fire flew towards the target. She panted as she slowly fell to one knee.

"Impressive," her father acknowledged. "I am fairly certain that was about as much as what Rukia could do at your age, despite the fact she had years of experience over you at that point. It seems you were never taught the last of the hados, or the legal ones at any rate. Would you like to see it?"

"There's another?" She looked up before nodding. "I'll need as much help as I can get with Voldemort."

"Perhaps." He held his palm out against the last target. "Hado no hachi-juuhachi: Hiryu gekizoku shinten raiho." An enormous blast of electricity blasted out of his hand. If it hadn't been for the fact it was heavily reinforced with both magic and kido, the wall they were facing would have likely collapsed.

Hermione gasped, as did the others. Disregarding the traitor in their midst, they were sure to win this war, that much she was sure of.

He gently helped his daughter back to her feet and guided her to a couch resting against the opposite wall. "You should rest while you still can. Your friends would benefit from some practice dueling for the time being, but I do not wish for you to collapse of exhaustion later."

"Yes, Father." She flopped onto the couch as the barrier fell. He regarded the room of teenagers with one last nod before leaving them to ponder over their chances in this war.

~oOo~

The first week of winter holidays went by in a similar way as the first day had. Every other day, her father would have her practice kido, the rest of the time was spent practicing spells. Evenings were spent in the sitting room as the teenagers brainstormed ways to combine spells or created tactics to help them fight more efficiently while her father worked on some of his paperwork, occasionally pointing out a flaw in their theories.

Liana awoke on Christmas morning to the sound of someone belting out Christmas carols downstairs. Putting on a house robe, she crept downstairs to see the dining room full of people, some of whom she vaguely recognized from the disturbing purple screen last summer.

"Pray tell, why did you all felt the need to spend Christmas here? Uninvited, no less," her father asked dryly.

"It was Shunsui's idea," the white haired man laughed. "He said Christmas only comes once a year, and that we should take the opportunity to visit you. I think he just wanted to meet your daughter and try some English drinks."

"How considerate," he muttered sarcastically.

"Ne, ne, look, Byakushi! I brought you candy!" chirped a pink haired girl who looked about seven-years-old. She held up a bag of small spherical candies artificially dyed into bright colors with small bumps covering them.

"I believe I have told you on several occasions, Kusajishi-fukutaicho, I do not eat those sugar coated monstrosities," he said tartly. "If you must give them to someone, go find the redheaded wizard, though chances are he is sleeping."

"Ara? Still?" a blond woman with a pink scarf asked. "I woke up three hours ago!"

"You forget that there's a time difference between here and Soul Society, Matsumoto," a white haired child said idly.

"Hmph. All this is childish," huffed a short, unpleasant looking woman with black hair and braids. "It would all be much better if Yoruichi-sama was here."

"Ah, but you must remember the circumstances, Soifon-taicho," said a kind black haired woman. "Shihoin Yoruichi is currently one of Riddle's death eaters."

"Yareh, yareh," a clown like man yawned. "I only came because we might be able to pick up a few interesting specimens."

A large, dog-like man was currently sniffing the holly that was thrown around the room. "What an interesting plant. I've never seen it before."

Her father closed his eyes and looked as though he was fighting off a migraine. Liana giggled as her friends trickled through the hallway, stopping behind her to watch the proceedings.

"Enough!" The noise all stopped as an elderly man rapped his cane on the floor. "You are all acting like fools. Calm down and act in a way befitting of your rank!"

"Hai, hai," a brown haired man grinned from under his hat. "After all, everyone knows alcohol tastes best at noon."

"Mm," the blond woman agreed. "I think I'm gonna see what that firewhiskey stuff tastes like if it's mixed in sake."

"Do that and I'll freeze you to your chair, Matsumoto," the child threatened. "You get drunk enough with just sake. I don't want to deal with the magic in your system too."

"Kyoraku-taicho, there are children in this house!" a prim looking girl reprimanded.

"Who cared, Ise-san?" a redheaded man asked. "I mean, Rangiku-san always drinks in front of Hitsugaya-taicho. And we all know Ikkaku-san doesn't care whether or not he's with Yachiru when he drinks."

Her father gave him a withering glare. "Yes. Also true is the fact that you drink when you work and somehow manage to _destroy_ the building you are supposedly running. Isn't it, Abarai?" he said acidly.

He started sweating. "S-sumimasen, Kuchiki-taicho."

"What do you think is going on?" Ron muttered.

"No idea," Liana shrugged. "I think they decided to have a Christmas party without telling him."

This caught the attention of a solemn looking girl. "Mayuri-sama, it seems the children are here," she said softly.

"I know, you dolt. Anyone with two brain cells to rub together would know they've been here for at least a few minutes now," he snapped.

The hatted man grinned and pushed the startled teenagers inside. "So you're the Liana-chan we've heard so much about… well, not really," he amended when his squad six counterpart shot him a look. "Yareh, yareh, you really are Kuchiki-taicho and Hisana-chan's child, ne? You sure look like them."

"Um… thank you?" she blinked.

"I think you're startling her, Shunsui," the white haired man said in amusement. "You're being a bit forceful."

"Ah, you're right, Jushiro," he said sheepishly.

"Ano…" A tall silver haired woman blushed. "I was just wondering… when do we get to eat, Kuchiki-taicho? I didn't have any time to eat anything before we came."

His eyes closed in an attempt to push away his irritation. "The house elves send up breakfast at nine o'clock on holidays and special occasions. It shouldn't be much longer now."

"'House elves'?" the blond woman repeated, scrunching her nose up. "What're those?"

"I believe they are something similar to servants, in the Wizarding World," the clown like man said excitedly. "How I would love to have one to experiment on."

"If you would speak to Sirius Black, I am sure he would be happy to give you his," his reluctant host said dryly. "He has no love for the creature, but I warn you, it is quite old for one of its kind."

Hermione huffed. "If Sirius would only treat Kreacher a bit more kindly, I'm sure they'd both be much happier!"

"I don't think there's a chance of that happening any time soon, Hermione," Ginny frowned. "Sirius told me Kreacher hated him even when he was younger. I doubt they'll ever be able to stand each other."

"It's a right little bugger, that thing," Ron snorted. "Mad too. I don't know why you defend him, Hermione. His life's ambition is to have his head put up on a plaque next to his mother's."

"Ronald!" she shouted, hitting him upside the head.

"I think you'd get along great with her, Nanao-chan," 'Shunsui' laughed, only to be treated to the same, except with a thick book.

"For once, Kyoraku-taicho, would you stop and be serious?" she scolded.

"Maybe if you'd give me a little kiss, Nanao-chan." He puckered his lips comically. "After all, life's too short- oomph!"

"You've been alive for at least two thousand years now!" she exclaimed, "You hardly have a right to say that!"

"Two thousand years without love, woe is me," he sulked playfully. "Will you please give an old man the honor of finding a partner, Nanao-chan?"

"Old man? And what would that make me, Kyoraku-taicho?" the kind woman asked, looking eerily threatening despite her sweet disposition.

"Ah, I didn't mean it like that, Unohana-taicho," he said quickly. Liana smiled. He reminded her of what she imagined Sirius to have been like in years past.

The grandfather clock in the hallway started tolling as the table elongated and platters of food appeared.

"It seems it's time for breakfast," her father said idly, taking obvious amusement in his colleagues' expressions. He sat down in the fifth seat on the left, not at the head of the table as he usually did. The old man who had quieted them all sat there instead.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" Ron mumbled as he plopped into a seat.

Their host shot him a reprimanding look. Kyoraku laughed at this.

"Don't mind him, Shunsui's always like that," the white haired man advised before a surprised look took his features, as if he had just remembered something. "Oh, I'm sorry! We haven't introduced ourselves, have we? I am Jushiro Ukitake."

Introductions quickly went around as the awkwardness the teens had been feeling evaporated. The latest gossip from both the Seireitei and Wizarding World started flitting across the table.

"They say there's a problem with one of the Shihoin servants," Rangiku said at one point, immediately capturing the students' attention.

"A problem?" Liana asked.

"Yeah. I heard one of them has been getting really testy. I saw him the other day. I don't really know what his problem was, though. He muttered something about his 'imouto-san' being away on a trip. Their head was near and got really mad at him; dragged him off and looked ready to kill him." She tilted her head. "Does anyone know what it might be about?"

"I was under the impression the Shihoin servants were all orphans from Rukongai with no family to speak of who were pitied and brought in to be trained," Byakuya frowned. "None of them should have any siblings, much less one who is abroad."

She shrugged. "Beats me. The weirdest thing, though – he had the same eye color and skin tone as Yoruichi-san. If I didn't know better, I'd say they were related in some way."

Liana's eyes widened as she realized who they were talking about. Thinking quickly, she knocked her elbow against a glass goblet full of pumpkin juice. The orange liquid quickly stained the tablecloth and soaked the food as its container bounced from the momentum and crashed to the floor.

"Did the Wrackspurts get to you, Liana?" Luna asked worriedly. "They're quite pesky and like to cause trouble sometimes."

"Er, no, Luna," she said awkwardly. "I guess I was just being clumsy…"

"It isn't like you to be clumsy," her father noted, snapping his fingers for a house elf. "Are you feeling well?" He raised an eyebrow and Liana suddenly had the feeling he knew it was intentional.

She pushed the thought away. "I'm fine. Can we be excused? I wanna see what I got from Sirius."

"Presents!" shouted the girl she now knew to be Yachiru Kusajishi. "C'mon Ken-chan! I wanna see prezzies too!"

"Fine, fine, brat," he grunted.

Her father looked faintly disgusted with his colleague's behavior, but nodded anyway. "Remember that the Malfoys are coming at noon and some of the order will be coming at one."

"'Kay!" She dashed out of the room, followed by her friends, the little girl, the pirate man, and the brown haired drunk who had decided this would be more fun than sitting around with some of his coworkers.

The group of teens had fun opening their gifts and exclaiming over them, sometimes chucking the wrapping paper at each other, and didn't really notice when some of the shinigami randomly entered the room to watch, or when the clock struck twelve.

They were taken completely off guard when the fire in the next room roared to life, expelling three blond aristocrats.

"Hello Lord Malfoy, Lady Malfoy," she heard her father say, "and Merry Christmas. I hope you don't mind the unexpected guests. My colleagues decided to come for Christmas celebrations without informing me."

"None at all, Lord Kuchiki," Mrs. Malfoy's sweet voice said. "The more the merrier. Why don't you go find Liana, Draco?"

"I believe she is trying to bury Miss Weasley in wrapping paper." This was said in a very dry tone with a hint of sarcasm.

Ukitake laughed from where he was standing by the wall. "You were right, Shunsui, he did get his spirit back."

"In here, Draco!" she called, dumping and armful of paper on top of Ginny's head.

He stared at her oddly after a brief introduction to the captains. "What in Merlin's name are you doing?"

She shrugged. "Dunno, but it's fun."

"Oy! Liana! Ginny!" Ron shouted from the window. "Get out here! We're having a snowball fight and need more people!"

"Coming!" She grinned and grabbed the slytherin by the wrist before running to the door, the redheaded girl at her heels.

It wasn't really a snowball fight, it was just that Ron had accidentally hit Hitsugaya with one when trying to get back at Hermione, and the teens had been forced to band together against him. They were losing quite badly, as he was using Hyorinmaru to his advantage.

Some of the shinigami were gathering as well, simply watching as their youngest captain acted his age for once. He seemed to be taking some enjoyment in manipulating the snow to bombard the underage wizards, who retaliated as best they could.

Rukia decided that she would join as well, as her niece was at a clear disadvantage, despite the fact they outnumbered the young captain.

Soon enough, some of the other lieutenants had joined as well, as had Kyoraku.

They fought for a good hour before they were joined by members of the Order, specifically Sirius, Remus, and the rest of the Weasley boys, and Hitsugaya started working harder against them.

At one point, the adult wizards all levitated a mound of snow and dumped it on him. They started cheering, barring the shinigami, who eyed the pile dubiously, at the supposed victory, only for the snow to start flying in all directions as he rubbed some of it from his eyes.

"Shiro-chan!" He looked up to see his childhood friend waving from the sidelines. "Don't you think that's enough? You've been at it for hours now!"

"Fine. But stop calling me Shiro-chan, Hinamori!" he yelled.

She smiled. "Sorry, Hitsugaya-taicho!"

"And so-" Fred said dramatically.

"The snowball fight-" George continued.

"Of the most epic proportions ever-"

"Has ended-"

"Because of-"

"The little guy's-"

"Girlfriend!"

"W-what?" His eyes widened as color filled his cheeks. He could hear his lieutenant guffawing.

"They got you there, taicho!" She doubled over in hysterics. "We all know Hinamori-chan's got you wrapped around her finger."

"MATSUMOTO!"

At the end of the day when everyone had all gone home and she was in the warm drowsiness between slumber and reality, Liana decided this Christmas was much better than last year's. Then again, it had been an entire year, so who knew?

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><p>Like I said, filler-ish. And yes, I know it's crazy-long, but the longer, the better, ne?<p>

Review!


	20. The Final Battle

I do not own anything

Okay, so the action has _finally_ come back! If I have it right, then this fic has less than ten chapters left before it's finished. I really don't want it to end...

So, I have a proposition for you! During the month when I was downright obsessed with writing this thing, I came up with a few ideas for a sequel. I would like to ask you, the readers, to send me your opinion about publishing one of them (though I'm nowhere near finished yet, so it may be a while) through review or PM, whichever you want. I'll try to repeat this request every week until we finish.

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><p>As the year continued, so did the Slug Club. Professor Slughorn seemed to be delighted with Liana, and often invited her and her friends over for tea. Afterward, Draco would always make a point of escorting her back to Gryffindor Tower. "It's only the polite thing to do – for a man to walk a lady home, or in this case to her dorm, after a get together," he would say, a grin on his face and a gleam in his eye. Liana thought he had relaxed quite a bit after they "met", and was glad for it.<p>

They ignored the gossip circulating around Hogwarts, telling nosy classmates that their private life and dating preferences were none of their business.

Easter passed uneventfully, and the quartet soon found themselves, at Hermione's insistence, studying by the lake quite often. After all, there were exams to prepare for.

Liana found herself nervous as May approached. She had received another butterfly in mid-March. _"May 2__nd__,"_ it had said. A letter with about a thousand privacy charms on it had been sent to McGonagall with the same message, and she had told the school that, with no room for misunderstanding, fourth years and under were not to leave their dorms that day.

Being Hogwarts, it wasn't a secret that the death eaters, and probably Voldemort himself, were going to attack Hogwarts on that day. The more responsible fourth years had been repeatedly told how important it was that they keep those in the common rooms from leaving.

The day everyone had been anticipating was now upon them, and it was only Madam Pomfrey's repeated threats and nagging that got the majority of the student body to eat and not drown in anxiety.

McGonagall looked up sharply as an explosion sounded in the distance. "They're here," she said gravely.

The Great Hall burst into chaos as the students rushed to get up from their seats. Older students had been given the choice between being locked up in their common room or helping with the battle. As a result, only the bravest students in Hogwarts were there. Draco was the only Slytherin there, the others were too afraid of the death eaters' reactions to be present.

They watched through the windows as statues, gargoyles, and suits of armor trooped outside as the first line of defense. Black cloaks washed through the grounds as colorful beams of lights shot from the mass. Ghosts howled and rushed through the death eaters as McGonagall's tabby Patronus darted through the air.

In the middle of the chaos, Liana could clearly discern only three figures. Bellatrix Lestrange cackled, shooting spells at the forest creatures behind them, her wild black hair curled around her like a cloud of darkness. To her right and slight front was Voldemort, Nagini draped over his shoulders like scarf as he watched the battle around him. To his other side was Yoruichi, a maniacal grin on her face as she shouted bakudos and captured the ghosts, smashing them into one another and leaving them dazed and unable to weaken the death eaters.

Student and teacher like gripped their wands tightly as the doors to the Entrance Hall burst open and the death eaters swarmed in, soon barging into the Great Hall as well.

The students started shouting spells, banding together in small groups to fight from all sides and leaving no openings. Liana avidly avoided Yoruichi and Voldemort, who were watching patiently from the wall opposite the doors, having had the other death eaters clear a path for them. At Yoruichi's feet sat a brown sack as she cooed at Nagini.

The order soon appeared, quickly taking over the duels for some of the more fatigued children.

"Die, Potter!" one of the death eaters, presumably a new recruit, shouted. "Stupefy!"

"_How does he expect to kill me with stupefy?"_ she wondered. "Protego!"

He sidestepped his own spell before throwing his arm out again as the shield flickered away. "Avada Kedavra!"

The words 'Potter' and 'Avada Kedavra' seemed to capture everyone's attention as motion ceased and heads turned. Time seemed to slow down as she watched the green light fly towards her. It was five feet away… now four… three… two… one…

She felt someone push her to the side as it finally came. Time started passing at its normal rate again as she watched the man, whom she now recognized as her father, fell to his knees. His body shook and he gasped in obvious pain, but stubbornly refused to scream.

She heard a laugh as Yoruichi strolled forward. She knelt and lifted his chin to meet his eyes as the spasms weakened.

"You just don't give up, do you?" she sneered. "It's the second time you've taken an attack for someone who isn't worthy. The first time you took a blade to the chest for your mudblood sister, now you've taken the killing curse for your half-blood daughter… and this is the second time you've been hit with it, isn't it?" She smirked haughtily at him. "Your selflessness is an admirable trait, Kuchiki Byakuya, but I'm afraid that alone will not be able to defeat my master."

"Your master," he hissed, "will never succeed. You are a traitor to your people, Shihoin Yoruichi, and you are no better than Ichimaru Gin."

She smirked. "I'll agree with that. So who's my Ran-chan?" she asked tauntingly.

"Do you need to ask? I had thought you were more intelligent than that, traitor you may be." His hand glowed in condensed power as he thrust it at her.

She grabbed his wrist and inspected his hand. "Not bad. You've fused your reiatsu into your hand in an attempt to catch me off guard. Like a rudimentary form of shunko. Too bad nothing like that would be able to defeat me."

"Of course not," he said before throwing a silent Shakkaho at her. She released his hand and quickly ducked as the fireball crashed into the wall, sending debris down towards the scattering combatants. He regained his usual grace as he rose to his feet, expertly masking any sign of pain. "Shunshin Yoruichi would naturally be able to counter any technique that has to do with kido, even more so if they are in any way related to shunko."

"Yes," she grinned, before tilting her head like a curious child. "Though, I've never been one for wasting time, it bores me so easily… My lord? I'm tired of bantering with him. May I start now?"

"Yes. We might as well. Come lay these on the floor, Shihoin." Crimson eyes glinted in dangerous glee as he gestured to the sack at his feet.

She shunpoed to his side and cast a 20 ft barrier around them, pushing away everyone but her and her master. She knelt down and began arranging the bag's contents into a square. A cup, a crown, a necklace, and a ring came out. Nagini slithered down as well and encircled the four items.

"Tell me again, Shihoin," Voldemort purred maliciously. "What does this do?"

"Hado no kyuu-juu: Kurohitsugi, or Black Coffin, is a large, black, purple-tinted box that surrounds whatever it is you're casting it at," she said, almost robotic. "It is named for its color and because, like a coffin, it symbolizes death. But rather than pure white, as most coffins are, it is pitch black, symbolizing the opposite of death – in other words, eternal life. It is used to cast a protection on its contents, similar to an Unbreakable Charm, but much more permanent. The item will never break, or in the case of a living being, die."

"Do you see now?" Voldemort said gleefully. "These items you see before you are Horcurxes, things I have bound to my soul so I will never die, so long as they exist. When she casts this spell, I will be truly immortal." He turned to Byakuya, sneering. "Isn't that right, blood traitor?"

He glared but slowly spoke, "The kido technique known as Kurohitsugi was outlawed centuries ago because of the destruction its end result was capable of bringing, as the constant use of it could potentially tip the Balance of Nature. Normally, one would need to go through a tedious process to obtain permission… but I see you are ignoring that."

"Start the ritual, Shihoin," he ordered, ignoring the last part.

"Yes, my lord," she smirked.

"Is that really what it does?" Liana whispered. "I thought Hado was all destructive. That doesn't seem very destructive, not directly, at least."

If one looked closely enough, they might have been able to see a hint of a smirk. "Yes, they are. What I said was completely true. Yoruichi, however, is an accomplished liar."

"Seeping crest of turbidity. Arrogant vessel of lunacy! Boil forth and deny! Grow numb and flicker! Disrupt sleep!" she chanted, the power around her condensing with every word. "Crawling queen of iron! Eternally self-destructing doll of mud! Unite! Repulse! Fill with soil and know your own powerlessness! Hado no kyuu-juu: Kurohitsugi!"

"No!" Sirius shouted as the box appeared, encasing the items. "Stupefy! Reducto! Bombarda Maxima!" He ducked as the spells rebounded towards him, but didn't give up, simply trying to get through. Ron followed suit, as soon the majority of those stuck outside the barrier, or everyone but Liana and her father, were attacking it.

"It's no use," her father said, his voice raised higher than usual but nowhere near a shout, yet still managing to be heard above the din of spellcasting. "This barrier is one used exclusively by the Shihoin family. Only they are able to bring it down. The only power vast enough to shatter it would the powers of God Himself."

"We can't just give up!" Sirius said angrily. "Moody! There's got to be some kind of way through!"

"I'm trying, Black, I'm trying!" he snapped, fake eye swiveling frantically in all directions in desperate search of a weakness in the barrier.

They were too late though, as the black box evaporated, its purpose fulfilled. Nagini hissed in delight. She felt different, the weight of what she assumed to be mortality was gone, and something in her mind felt lighter for it. _"Masssster__…__ it hassss worked!" _she crowed excitedly. _"I feel__…__ I feel sssso much more alive now, Masssster!"_

"_Exccccelent, Nagini,"_ he smirked. "Wonderful, Shihoin."

Yoruichi was panting from the exertion, but triumphant. She canceled the barrier.

"Thank you, my lord. But… my lord," she said once she had regained her breath. "The death eaters… they weren't doing a thing when the blood traitors and mudbloods started attacking it, even though they didn't know whether or not it could hold. May I kill them?"

"Hmm… yes, Shihoin," he grinned, the concept of being immortal making him overly confident. "Kill them."

Victory gleamed in her eyes as brilliant green lights flew from her wand, hitting every death eater but herself and Severus Snape. She smirked at him and purred, "At least you, Severus, tried to get them to stop." Truth was, he didn't, but she wasn't about to say that.

His face made no inclination that she was lying, and gave a short nod. "Thank you."

Yoruichi yawned and stretched like a cat. "My, it seems that took more out of me than I thought… I'd like to end this already. Wouldn't you, Severus?"

He sneered at her. "Of course I would. I've been trying to for sixteen years now."

"Mm, I know. My lord?" She turned to face him.

"Yes?"

She smirked. "Have fun in Hell."

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><p>Please tell me what you think about publishing a sequel!<p> 


	21. Secrets and Revelations

I do not own anything

Like I said last week, people. I'm wondering over whether or not I should publish one of the sequels I created for this fic... to be totally honest, one of them is mainly focusing on the remnants of the Dursleys' abuse while the other one focuses on the effects of Yoruichi and Sirius' (at this point nonexistent) relationship.

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><p><em>"My lord?"<em>

_"Yes?"_

_She smirked. "Have fun in Hell."_

She lodged her fist into his stomach, grabbing onto some of his organs and twisting her hand, slowly. Blood dribbled out of the wound as she played none too gently with her master's insides. The sound of harsh panting and blood dripping onto the floor was the only thing that could be heard. It seemed time had stopped at that precise moment, freezing the scene in front of them for everyone in the Great Hall to watch.

"W-what?" he choked, disbelief mixed with fury coloring both his voice and his face. "What are you doing?"

"I was never on your side to begin with, _my Lord_," she sneered. "Can't you figure it out on your own? I thought you were supposed to be intelligent."

"Traitor," he hissed, blood bubbling into his throat and killing him via his own organs. "You _filthy_ traitorous _bitch!"_ he snarled.

"Is that really the best you can come up with?" She raised an eyebrow. "Honestly. I don't know how many times I've been called a traitor, even before coming back to Europe. I lost track somewhere after a hundred and thirty-six, and that was probably centuries ago."

Pulling her crimson stained hand out of his body, she turned around so her back was to him, deciding him unworthy of her direct attention before unsheathing her zanpakuto and dragged it vertically through the air. "Through the power of my forefathers, the Dark of the Light, I ask you to open for the scent of fresh meat," she whispered, too soft for anyone to hear her. "Come to me, Lord of the Darkness, and let the Damned suffer for their sins."

The wizards watched in morbid fascination as lavender smoke seeped out of where she had dragged her blade, and two large doors appeared in front of them. They were predominantly red with what looked like broken human bones and roaring fires were painted elaborately onto them. Two large skeletons with white cloths wrapped around their foreheads were clutching the doors' openings with their only arm, leaning as though using their non-existent muscle to pull them open. Small buttons of sorts lined up in pairs up and down the opening, a large, thick chain holding them together. The chains on the doors drew taut as they opened, revealing red smoke and a large, blue arm. The souls of the dark wizards screamed as the hand grabbed them, carrying them in.

**"I've given you your prey for tonight," **she said, her voice oddly magnified with a hint of a strange, echoing undertone. **"Death eaters who have actively murdered hundreds, if not thousands, of their fellow man, and Tom Marvolo Riddle, their leader and the instigator of the attacks. I hope you are satisfied with their sins, for the Reioh will never accept them into his lands."**

She turned away from the gates as they closed, vanishing Nagini as she did so. It was as though the entire room had been petrified, and she was the only one able to move in the silence. Wizards and witches stared at her in shock or mistrust, ignoring the rubble around them and the bodies that littered the floor.

Byakuya quietly shut his soul pager as a pair of shoji doors appeared. Motioning for Liana to stay where she was, he quickly joined the stream of people that exited, forming two rows. The elderly man, the captain commander, Liana knew, stood at one end of the path of captains, with Daiki Shihoin standing next to him. He stared intently at his daughter, whom the captains had specifically fallen into rank around, leaving her in a position usually reserved for traitorous or disobedient shinigami.

She turned to face them and knelt onto one knee, head bowed, humbling herself in front of the leaders of her homeland. "Yamamoto-sotaicho-dono."

"Shihoin Yoruichi," he said gruffly. Flitwick was suddenly grateful for the translation charms he had put up around the grounds, if only to sate his own curiosity. "The actions you have taken in the past year were strictly forbidden. You knew this, yet you continued with them anyway. You defected to the side of the man we were trying to eliminate, attacked a shinigami captain and a noble head on multiple occasions, and killed at least thirty members of the human race we are sworn to protect. One of which," his tone relaxed, "was the one you and Kuchiki-taicho were ordered to kill upon your arrival here. I commend you for finishing your mission so quickly, Shihoin-hime."

She grinned at him, the exuberance that Liana hadn't seen for nearly a year suddenly rushing back to her. "Thank you, sotaicho-dono. But you shouldn't commend me. It was mostly Riddle's overconfidence that made it all so easy… besides, Byakuya-bo helped a bunch too! Not bad for his first time on a mission belonging to the Onmitsukido."

"Wait, wait, what?" Ron yelped. "What the bloody hell is going on here?"

Yoruichi glanced at him, eyes widened and mouth slightly open in a mock-innocent expression. "That's easy," she said cheerfully. "I was just pretending to be on Riddle's side so I could kill him! Did I do a good job, Father?"

He chuckled. "Superb, hime-chan."

She beamed. "Thank goodness. It's been so long since I did something like this, I was worried I had messed up somewhere!"

"You did wonderfully. However, you still have very many duties to attend to. I believe it is time for you return to the Seireitei, hime-chan, for the sake of the clan. There are still very many things that must be done in light of your return, which, I might add, was decades ago." Golden orbs looked expectantly into identical spheres. "You have put this off long enough, my child."

Her brow furrowed. "But Father, I haven't really spent any time with Liana-chan since January last year. I'd like to spend more time in Britain."

"We have planned for a party next week to celebrate, in the event of You-Know-Who was defeated today. You can come if you'd like – it's open to virtually everyone. We'd be honored to have you," McGonagall suggested, stepping forward. She gave her former pupil a rare smile. "I didn't think you would actually do something like this, Yoruichi."

"Then I guess I'm not coming," Sirius said bitterly.

"No, please come," Yoruichi said suddenly, her mood shifting yet again as she turned to him with a desperate look in her eyes. "Please? I know you probably don't give a damn about me, not after all this, but please, please come. There's… There's I have something I need to tell you."

Remus nudged him. "C'mon, Sirius, at least for Liana. We all know she's going to leave England in a few years. Might as well make the most of the little time we have."

After a few minutes of growling and glaring at nothing in particular, he consented. "Fine," he grumbled. Yoruichi looked relieved.

"Thank you." She smiled gratefully before pulling out a piece of parchment, turning to Liana. "I told myself that when all this ended, I would show this to you. After all, you are the only living person I've ever told." She put her wand to her temple and pulled out a long, silvery strand she recognized as a memory, before slipping it into the parchment. Tears clouded her vision as she headed towards her, trying to smile but not bothering to wipe them away.

Unfortunately, she didn't notice that the body of Death Eater Rodolphus Lestrange was strewn on the floor in front of her and, in a traditional Tonks-like moment, tripped over it, dropping the parchment as her body focused on not falling to the floor.

Ron was closest. "I'll get it." He reached for the sheet.

"Wait! Don't touch-!" But it was too late. He had already grabbed it.


	22. Moans from the Past

I do not own anything

So, for the third time now, do you guys want a sequel? So far, the unanimous answer seems to be 'yes'. If you don't want one, please review/PM me saying so and explaining why so I can weight the pros and cons of publishing one.

Also, I've hit writers' block on both sequels, and realized one of them is complete crap. Anyone who'd like to help can review/PM me and set up a DocX connection.

On another note, I'm in the local JROTC branch and we did PT (Physical Training) yesterday. Now my legs are sore and I have to walk around like a penguin. I hate exercise.

So, onto the chapter!

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><p>"<em>I told myself that when this all ended, I would show this to you."<em>

"_I'll get it."_

"_Wait! Don't touch-!"_

Yoruichi watched, horrified as the memory came to life, right in front of the people whom she had tried to shied it from for the past several centuries.

Byakuya recognized the memory for what it was, a memory, but this certainly wasn't what he had expected. Right in front of him was Yoruichi, bound to the wall with chains that were connected to strange black bands around her wrists and ankles. She was bleeding heavily and harsh pants were heard from her, looking worn and defeated. In front of her stood a man that no one, save the Shihoins, recognized. He had the same dark, mocha skin as his prisoner, rough with callouses borne from years of hard labor. Dark brown eyebrows, darker than his skin, furrowed in twisted delight as brilliantly gold eyes peered out of a face that wasn't worthy of their beauty. His mouth was curled back in a sneer as a mop of brown curls tumbled from his head, ending just at the nape of his neck.

"I hope you've learned not to go against me, imouto-san," he said, almost mockingly. The attention of those with more acute senses was drawn to side, where a thick, black whip rested in his hand.

Her previous broken appearance was lost as her shoulders tensed with defiance. She lifted her head to meet his eyes and, despite her pain, grinned. "I learned a long time ago, brother dear, considering you've been doing this to me for the better part of six hundred years."

"And yet, you still won't listen," he said softly. "Tell me, Sister, aren't you noblewomen meant to respect your betters?" His grip tightened

She growled. "You are not my better, Hayato. You were never my better and lost the slim chance of being one of them when you performed this wretched ritual on me. I would rather bow to a troll than a fool like you." She leered at him, operating with the typical Gryffindor bravery, uncaring of the consequences that would befall her whether she belittled him or not.

His eyes narrowed. "Oh? Well, it's too bad then – I seem to have gotten the short end of the stick… Tell me, how does it feel to be the _unworthy_ heir of the Shihoin family? How does it feel to know you stole your position from its rightful owner?" His feet shifted slightly as he stood in a more angered stance, glaring at his would-be inferior.

"It's hardly _my_ fault you're an illegitimate, Hayato," she drawled, chains clinking heavily as she tossed her hair out of her face, the small movement being the extent of what she could do in such a position. "Frankly, my _dear_ brother, I'm glad Father refuses to recognizes you has his son. I'd rather not admit I'm related to a vile man like you."

He snarled and raised the whip, preparing to strike her as he'd doubtless done dozens of times before. Yoruichi flinched slightly at it, but continued anyway.

"You're lucky Sojun is gone!" she said loudly, her arms straining against the chains in her act of defiance. "We both know that his death is the reason you are still alive! He would have found some way to tell Mother and Father, and then you would be dead!"

"And who are you to say that?" he sneered. "When his own son loathes you, why do you have so much faith in a dead man?"

"He may be dead, but that doesn't mean he was weak," she snarled, her earlier composure and wit having fled from her mind. "Anyway, it's my fault Byakuya hates me so much. I'm the reason he's an orphan, for Kami's sake! I was the weak one; I couldn't help my senpai when he most needed help! He saved me so many times, from my own _brother_, and I repay him by not going to his aid and letting his family fall apart!"

"How many times do I have to tell you, bitch, I don't care about your guilt!" he roared, swinging the whip down. Yoruichi shut her eyes as the lashes rained upon her, twisting and shrieking in an effort to get away.

The wizards watched in morbid fascination as this continued for another five minutes, when the young man seemed to decide that was enough. He threw the whip into a corner before leaving. The chains disconnected from the wall, causing her to fall limp, and retracted into the bands.

She simply slumped there for a few seconds, trembling in pain as the blood continued to seep onto the floor. Slowly, she moved a badly shaking hand up to her head and carefully retrieved her wand from where she had hidden it in her hair.

_"Caeca Fascia,"_ she whispered hoarsely, watching as bandages flew out of the wand tip and wrapped around where the whip had hit before fading out of sight. She pressed her hand against a small stone in the wall that had two faint, barely noticeable lines scratched into it, opening a hidden compartment and downing the vial inside.

She visibly relaxed and sighed of relief. "Thank Kami I have Essence of Dittany. I have enough problems on my hands without dealing with constant pain." She grimaced as her wand suddenly cast ice blue sparks into the air. "Ooh… and I have to get to Squad 12 now… Hopefully he won't get mad at me again anytime soon." She got up, quickly hiding all trace of her pain and casting glamours to hide the blood stains. Regaining the proud posture she usually carried, she strode out of the room and shunpoed.

That was where it ended, leaving them in the Great Hall again. Yoruichi was staring where her memory self had just been, wide eyed. She didn't even notice what was going on until her father had stepped in front of her and grabbed her shoulders.

"Explain to me what this is, Yoruichi," he said quietly. Despite the volume he spoke at, she could still hear the tightly coiled anger in his voice.

"He hates me," she whispered. "He's always hated me… everyone in our house knows that… he's always searched for a way to torment me, ever since he learned Mother was pregnant with me… and then he found one."

"When was the last time this happened," he demanded.

She swallowed slightly before saying softly. "That memory was only a few minutes before I went with Byakuya to pick up Liana-chan."

His grip tightened momentarily before he abruptly let go and quickly spun around, fury in his eyes as he opened a senkaimon. "We are going back to the Seireitei. We will find that bastard, and we are going to kill him like we should have centuries ago."

She bowed her head submissively, having turned from the ruthless warrior and hyper witch into a noblewoman ready to obey her father's command.

"Hai."


	23. Confessions of a Wounded Soul

I do not own anything

Seriously? No one wants to look at the sequels? Strange...

I have to admit, I'm surprised. _The Final Battle_ got a total of 11 reviews, the highest number of reviews this fic has ever gotten. _Secrets and Revelations_ got ten. _Moans from the Past_ only got three, the lowest number. I figured it's either because A) you guys don't care as much about Yoruichi as you do Liana, B) I asked how many people _didn't_ want a sequel (I really need to figure out the plot for that), or C) It just sucked that much. I guess I'll have to work harder at this.

Just as a warning, all of the action stuff is over. From here on out the story revolves a lot around the Kuchiki and Shihoin families, and the fact that they _are_ nobility, and it's all starting to wind down.

And now, I give you the 25th chapter of Liana Kuchiki!

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><p>Looking around, bystanders could only marvel at the extravaganza Headmistress McGonagall had thrown to celebrate the death of Lord Voldemort and subsequent end of the Second Blood War. Hogwarts School was packed to the brim with guests and laughter, as it had been made clear that anyone who wanted to come could attend, regardless of age or blood. Well, as long as they were wizards (or shinigami), of course.<p>

It was all a formal event, and Yoruichi found herself in an expensive, lacy, elegant dress. After having to wear garments befitting a pureblood lady for the past two years, she was really starting to hate these things, but forget about them and cheered when, half an hour before the event actually began, a senkaimon appeared in the Entrance Hall where everyone was waiting, depositing her parents in similar regalia.

Thankfully, her mother and father managed to distract her from the restricting clothing until the ball began.

"Thank you all for coming," McGonagall said once the doors had opened and they were all allowed inside. "For nostalgia's sake, I thought to start the dance off in a similar way to how we did in 1975*," there were scattered laughs from those who remembered, "but seeing how it ended, I decided perhaps it wouldn't be a good idea for those same dancers again. So, would Lord Byakuya Kuchiki and Lady Yoruichi Shihoin please lead the dancing for us?"

Yoruichi laughed as she glided onto the empty dance floor. "I suppose, but give us some warning next time!"

"Yes, I would have like forewarning as well," Byakuya said dryly as he stepped onto the dance floor.

They received a tight smile from the tabby animagus before she spoke again. "Before we begin, I will say that the first dance of tonight's party will be a series of dances that lead one into another. The dances have been magically chosen and, starting with a standard ballroom waltz, are all of those that both our guests have mastered," she announced. "Of course, forewarning will be given in the change of music, and there will be approximately half of a second for you to adjust. Let's see how skilled the two of you are at dancing!" A jocular glint shone in the Transfiguration Mistress's eyes, something extraordinarily uncharacteristic of her.

"All the dances we know?" Yoruichi repeated, a grin slowly crawling onto her face. "Then this is going to take a while."

"Indeed." With two beings who had existed for centuries and learned all sorts of arts and cultures out of sheer boredom and familial expectation, the session would undoubtedly last for a lengthy amount of time. Nonetheless, he bowed and held his hand out to her. "May I have this dance, Lady Shihoin?"

"I would be delighted, Lord Kuchiki." She took it and allowed him to lead her onto the barren dance floor as the wizards watched excitedly, murmuring quietly so only he could hear her. "I never would've thought we would dance together, considering how much you hate me."

"There are very many things you are, Yoruichi," he replied, staring calmly at the other noble. "An irritant, an assassin, a woman who would rather follow her heart rather than her duties are all things that could describe you perfectly. However, you are one of those who allowed me a second chance with both my sister and my daughter, and hopefully my wife. I could never hate my senpai, General Shihoin."

She offered him a small smile, grateful for his slight confession and reassurance. "Thanks. That means a lot." She suddenly spun under his raised arm as the music changed to a faster, livelier rhythm. Neither of them slowed or stopped as they felt and saw their clothing change color and design to match the style of the new music, focused on moving in sync with both each other and the music.

Lucius couldn't help but realize why his classmates had gotten so excited after his own dance with the Shihoin woman. It was astounding how they could go from one dance to another in the blink of an eye, simply adjusting to what the music was, and still be flawless. Even all those years ago, they had had weeks of practicing and a much smaller array of dances, and had just barely managed to pull it off in front of the school. It spoke very much for the skills and upbringings of the two shinigami if they could perform to this degree with no forewarning or practice beforehand.

He could see his cousin-in-law gaping from the other side of the Great Hall. The werewolf beside him was surprised as well, but not as much. It seemed they didn't know how talented their former classmate was either.

After a good half hour of dancing (_half hour!_), they finally finished. Their audience burst into applause as the two nobles stepped apart, not looking at all winded.

"I'm sorry," Yoruichi said apologetically once it had died down. "It's getting a bit stuffy in here. I think I'll go outside for a bit." She smiled and silently left the now lively party. Her father said something to his wife and followed her outside. Sirius, being the curious mutt he was, went as well.

"It wasn't stuffy at all, and I know that a mere half hour isn't enough to get you that warm, hime-chan," Daiki said as he walked up to where his daughter was staring at the lake. "Why were you so eager to leave the party, Yoruichi? It has just barely begun."

She sighed, her usual defenses washing away in front of one of the only beings who would be able to see through them. "I don't know if I can do this, Father. I've been at odds with him for nineteen years. I don't know if I'm ready for this."

He shook his head. "This isn't a way a Shihoin acts, Yoruichi, you know that," he said in a gentle, yet stern tone. "Have you forgotten?"

"A Shihoin goes through life with their head held high, right?" She gave a halfhearted smile, sinking to the ground and resting on the emerald green grass. "We don't show weakness, and we confront our adversaries and defeat them, or die trying."

"Yes, if you remember this, then why are you not following it?" he asked, kneeling to be eye level with his daughter.

"I'm sorry, Father," she mumbled, "but I'm so scared… I haven't held a grudge against Sirius for years, but he thinks I still hate him, and so hates me in turn. How do I tell him I love him? What if he doesn't care about it and just goes on with his life? Lord knows he's wooed enough women to have a healthy harem going on by now. What makes _me_ so special? I've tried so hard to get over it, but nothing happens, no matter what I do. How do you fall in love with a man you haven't seen in nearly two decades, anyway? I don't know what to do, Papa." She slumped against her father, too distressed to notice their eavesdropper.

"It'll be alright, hime-chan," he soothed, glancing at the large dog that had trailed after them. "They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, after all. Your mother and I will be here for you, even if he isn't. You're strong, hime-chan, I'm sure you can do it."

"I still don't know… what if he doesn't accept me? Lord knows he has reason not to." She groaned, burying her head in her hands. She sighed. "It's so stupid. I can commit bloody murder without batting an eye, but I can't figure out what to do about a _guy_."

"It's probably because it's your first time," he chuckled. "Never once have you had even a small schoolgirl crush. Your mother was very disappointed about it."

"I never really had the chance," she smiled grimly. "What am I going to do, Papa?"

"Tell him the truth. It's the only thing you can do," he said. "If he doesn't accept it, then that's that. You can't run from this forever, hime-chan. You need to confront it."

"How do I even bring it up? I'm not even on speaking terms with him."

"Perhaps… there isn't any need to," he said softly. "Look over there, hime-chan." He slowly gestured to the canine that suddenly looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

She looked up and her eyes widened, suddenly wishing she had never come outside at all.

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><p>*<em>Waltzing the Day Away<em> from "Shinigami at Hogwarts". Also referenced to in _The Slug Club_.

Seriously, does _anyone_ want a look at the sequels?


	24. Killing Two Birds with One Stone

I do not own anything

Okay, so I checked earlier, there's only three chapters left in this story, including this one. I really want to end this fic on my stepsister's birthday (which happens to be the day of the Military Ball for JROTC) so I guess I'll put up the first chapter of the sequel up as the last chapter or something...

So, because the sequel idea has already been established, I want to ask you guys a random question. Would you rather see a fic about what happens to Liana after this, or about what happens to Yoruichi/Sirius in their insanely screwed up relationship?

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><p>"<em>Perhaps… there isn't any need to," he said softly. "Look over there, hime-chan." He slowly gestured to the canine that suddenly looked like a deer caught in the headlights. <em>

_She looked up and her eyes widened, suddenly wishing she had never come outside at all._

"How much of that did you hear?" There was a note of hysteria in her voice as she shot the demand at the animal.

The dog morphed back into his original form, smiling sheepishly. "Sort of… all of it," Sirius said, embarrassed as he looked at a spot just beyond her shoulder.

She paled as she mentally recounted what she had said. "Oh God…"

Daiki cleared his throat. "I think I will go back to the party. I'll come back in a few minutes to see how you two are doing, Yoruichi, Lord Black."

"What?" Her head snapped up, eyes wide, and she looked desperately at her father as he stood up to leave.

"You can't rely on me forever, hime-chan," he said gently. "You've managed well enough before, but you need to learn how to stand on your own two feet again."

She bit her lip, but didn't speak. She knew better than to argue with him, and she knew the truth in his words. Even if she didn't want to acknowledge it.

"You'll be fine." He smiled at her before striding back to the castle, wondering just how the night would end.

"Stupid manipulative old man," she muttered halfheartedly, burying her face into her hands.

He didn't say anything, not bothering to comment that that was how she usually referred to their former headmaster. After a few awkward moments, Sirius cleared his throat to end the stifling silence. "So… you like me, huh?"

She froze, muscles tense. He was just as blunt as ever! Slowly, her body relaxed, but she didn't dare looking at him, just staring at the Black Lake (what irony!) as she nodded mutely.

"Y'know, I've never really been in this position before," he laughed nervously. "And this is sort of weird… I mean, blimey! You look the same you did when we graduated! While I…" he trailed off, gesturing awkwardly to himself, the horrors of Azkaban marked permanently in his scars and haunted eyes.

"We age differently in the Soul Society than you in the World of the Living. Seeing as we are not among the living, we can defy some of their laws," she said automatically, as if she was just repeating something that had been drilled into her head. "Usually we age one physical year per decade until we are two hundred years old. After that, it relies completely on our reiatsu, which is basically our magical power."

"But you aged just like a normal person when we were at Hogwarts," he pointed out. She was a midget in first year, and a young woman in seventh (granted, they weren't speaking by that point…), just like everyone else.

"That was punishment for disappearing for a hundred years," she said, a hint of a smile breaking out. "The clan insisted I be punished for abandoning my duties as head of the family. In order to satisfy them without truly punishing me, my father decided I was to be put into a gigai, a fake body, that would make my soul look eleven and make it age as though I were a normal human of that age, complete with hormones. I would start aging as a soul again after my spirit form returned to the state it was in before that. In other words, I was aging artificially for thirteen years."

She sighed as the smile faded, the niggling in the back of her mind not allowing her to forget the circumstances they were in. "Please, Black-san, tell me before I fall apart. Will you accept me or not?" She knew it was tactless and abrupt to bring it up like that, something that her mother would probably scold her for, but after trying to push away those feelings for seventeen years and then trying to conceal them for the next two, she couldn't help herself.

"I… I guess I will," he said hesitantly. "I guess I sorta… feel something too. I dunno… maybe it means I'm finally starting to grow up. Though, it's sort of awkward… This has never happened before, at least, not like this." He frowned, wondering if that made any sense. He felt like he had when he first entered puberty, hormones rushing through his veins and making him feel unsure about all sorts of romance.

"I can relate." She gave a pained smile. "I was always so busy, I never really had the chance to think about relationships." Between all of her training, her lessons, and her brother, the only free time she had was when she snuck off to play with her friends.

"Yeah, and it's sorta impossible to think about girls in Azkaban," he grimaced. Teenage crushes were one thing, but a person only started understanding the true concept of 'love' as a young adult. However, he had spent those scant years curled up in a ball in dementor-infested prison.

She stared at the night sky, watching as the stars twinkled down at them. "Y'know, it's a bit odd. Our names are so similar, or are at least based on the same concept." The stars had always had a way of calming her down.

"Huh?" He ignored the subject change, instead focusing on what she had said. He'd never really bothered to look up the meaning of her name.

"I know that Sirius is the brightest star in the sky, and is sometimes called the 'Dog Star'." She pointed at the bright light that was the eternal manifestation of the man behind her, as well as two of his ancestors. "Like many in your family, you were named after a star. In Japanese, my name, 'Yoruichi', literally means 'Night One' – 'yoru' meaning 'night', and 'ichi' meaning 'one'. Our names are both based, in some way, off the night sky."

"Makes you feel like there's some sort of connection, doesn't it?" he joked halfheartedly, trying to smother his discomfort.

"It might be why I feel this way. I honestly don't have any idea." She lay down onto her back and sighed. "Ever since I was a little girl, I would sneak out of my room at night and stare at the stars for hours and hours, even though I was supposed to be sleeping. I always felt a special connection with the sky – the stars, in particular. I used to think that, if I was lucky enough, a boy would come out of the night sky and sweep me away, like my very own Prince Charming. It would have been much better than what my Mother and Father expected me to do."

"What d'you mean?" He may have been brought up as a pureblood, but Azkaban had wiped away all recollection of some of the more intricate details of being one. For the life of him, he couldn't remember the specifics of what his parents had wanted of him when growing up.

"My life was completely planned out for me by the time I was around five. I was engaged to a boy who was several years older than me named Masato Toriume. The ceremony was supposed to happen a few months after I turned a hundred and sixty – the human equivalent of sixteen-years-old. I didn't want to settle down, though, so I kicked him at the wedding." She grinned softly at the memory. That had been the best part of that day, in her opinion.

"Wicked. Almost as great as the scene when Andy announced she was engaged to Ted," he commented. "Aunt Druella and Cissy were watching while Bella was screaming curses at her. Uncle Cygnus was brawling with Ted on the floor. They forgot they were wizards. It was bloody awesome!"

She smiled faintly before it disappeared. "Sounds like fun. A better reaction than when I kicked him." She sighed and ran her hand over her face. "Father was furious with me for it. I couldn't marry him, though. I knew my parents loved each other, and I wanted that. I wanted to marry for love. They didn't understand, though. They loved each other, but their marriage was arranged since they were born, and they had their entire lives to get to know each other. It just made Father more upset when I told them about it, and I was punished horribly for it, though not in a way that may threaten my life, of course. No one wanted to risk the Shihoin family's only heir dieing. Mother didn't do anything. It's a woman's instinct to adore her children, but a lady's place is in servitude to her husband. There was already a bunch of tension in our house, she didn't want to add to it."

Sirius stayed silent. This reminded him of when his parents found out he was sorted into Gryffindor.

"Actually, Father and I were arguing for months over it. At one point, he told the servants that they were to ignore me, so I had to do everything myself, not that it was that hard. It was the fact that my father was denying me that hurt – the fact that he didn't seem to acknowledge me as his child anymore, the same thing he did to my brother. After about three months, I snapped. I packed some of my things and went to stay with Kisuke, one of my childhood friends and the man who first discovered the truth about Liana-chan." She sighed. "It was a really bad time for me. Father was so upset with me and I was so upset and confused. I'm not completely sure, but I think I was nearly disowned."

"Sorry." He had been disowned, but seeing as the only family member he cared for had already been kicked out, it hadn't really stung very much.

"You don't need to be. It's not like you could have done something about it, this was all before even your grandparents were born…" She shrugged. "It all worked out in the end, anyway. Mother managed to get Father to come around after a couple of years. It's just, I always felt repulsed by Masato. I couldn't stand thinking about being his wife. I felt like there was someone else waiting for me. Intuition, I suppose."

"I never really thought that it could be like that…" After seeing his best friend pine after Lily year after year, he had become a firm believer of love at first sight. He just thought that when you found the perfect girl, it was just BAM! and you would be in love.

She bit her lip, screwing up her courage and venturing into dangerous ground. "Black-san?"

"Hm?"

"Do you realize… that by agreeing to accept my feelings, we will be expected to marry? Especially if you plan on living with me?"

Just a day ago, he hated this woman. Now he was expected to marry her? "Bloody hell!"

"Chances are, Father will tell them later on tonight, now that he and Mother know that I've told you. We can expect them to approach us with a marriage contract soon, tomorrow probably," she said dryly, attempting to lighten the mood but failing miserably.

"I'm running to Siberia," he muttered.

"Then what would be the point of this conversation?" she asked, smiling weakly, before staring at the ground. "I'm not going to try and force you to do anything. I don't want to get married either. I just thought you deserved to know… I guess I'll call Kisuke later and tell him I'm moving back in, if only to avoid that idiot fiancé of mine."

She smiled sadly and stood up. "I'm going to go back inside. I'll see you later-"

"I'll do it."

"What?"

"I'll do it," he repeated. "I must be crazy, but I'll do it. I'll marry you."

A flash of relief and surprise appeared in her eyes as she smiled gently at him. "Thank you," she whispered before hurrying back towards the castle.

Sirius blinked before yelping, "Hey! Wait for me!"

Yoruichi chuckled as he scrambled to catch up with her. "Lupin-san is going to flip out. We leave as hated enemies and come back as an engaged couple. Of course, Mother and Father will be delighted."

"This is gonna be bloody awkward," he declared.

"Yeah." She knew it wasn't just going to be the announcement that was awkward, but tried to put it out of her mind. "Of course, it's a scandal for a woman of my rank and age to be unmarried… I suppose the Elders will tell everyone that we've been married since graduation, but didn't want to publicly announce it until we cleared it the issues of a living human marrying the lady of one of the Four Great Noble Families. They'll say it was a small, private wedding and all those there were sworn to secrecy. They'll probably make us go through an 'official' wedding, a big one… boy, this is gonna be downright insane."

"Pretty detailed for an assumption," he commented, staring at her with a peculiar look in his eyes.

"I've been trained to think quickly and efficiently," she shrugged. "It's part of being a warrior, I suppose."

They entered the Great Hall, earning suspicious glances from those who knew of their hatred. A few people turned and started whispering to their friends, pointing and gesturing to them in what they must have thought was a discreet manner.

Yoruichi completely ignored their reaction, instead trying to find her parents in the crowd.

"Mother! Father!" She grabbed Sirius' arm and pulled him along with her, much to his bewilderment.

"What is it, Yoruichi?" Her mother turned from where she had been talking with Remus. "Please don't tell me you got into any trouble." She had a slightly pleading look on her face. She knew how often her daughter caused mischief.

She pouted. "I thought you would be happy that I'm getting married." She crossed her arms and looked at her pitifully.

"You are?" She smiled brilliantly and threw her arms around her daughter, glancing at Sirius while Remus just stared, gobsmacked. "Oh, how lovely. Now where did your father go…?" She looked around, searching for her husband.

Yoruichi nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I can't perform that ritual without him there," she commented, scanning the crowd for him as well.

"Ritual?" Sirius looked at his (strangely enough,) fiancée warily. The last time she had performed a ritual…

"Here?" Her mother looked incredulous. "But we usually do it at the wedding-"

"Going through the senkaimon would kill him," she pointed out. "And that would destroy the entire reason I want it done now."

Sirius was starting to get nervous. Kill him? What were they talking about?

"Father!" she called through the noise of the crowd.

"Yes?" He walked towards them from where he had been watching the dancers.

She grinned. "I'm getting married." She gestured to where Sirius was standing awkwardly as his long-time friend grinned at him. His eyes widened.

However, her announcement had apparently been overheard, particularly by one of the passing ghosts.

"How wonderful!" Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington exclaimed. "Congratulations on your soon-to-be marriage, Lady Shihoin." He beamed jovially as he made exaggerated movements, possibly to make him look good, possibly to gain others' attention.

Yoruichi cursed herself for forgetting how many people she was surrounded by as they began swarming her. "Yes… thank you… sorry, excuse me…" She struggled through the throng of people that had suddenly surrounded her, trying to make her way through the remaining distance that separated her from her father.

Daiki chuckled and slowly pulled his daughter towards her mother and fiancé.

She muttered a quick thanks before quickly dragging them past the well-wishers, out of the Great Hall, and into an empty classroom. "I want to perform the ritual."

"Now?" They had hated each other just two hours ago.

"Why wait? We might as well do it now, before the Elders get involved."

"Aren't you rushing into it?"

"I don't think so. It's just detrimental to hold it off."

"You_ just_ got engaged a few minutes ago."

"So? This can be a pseudo-wedding ring or something."

"A _ritual_ like this one substituting for a _ring_?"

"Sure, why not? I mean, people have used necklaces, bracelets, even a flower crown!"

"Will someone tell me what this is about?" Sirius asked loudly.

Daiki gave his daughter a flat stare. "You didn't even tell him?"

"It slipped my mind," she protested.

"Oh, Yoruichi," he sighed before explaining. "The ritual we are talking about is one the noble families use to merge their essence into those who is marrying into their family, Black-san. It can also be used to make a living soul age as one of us would."

"It's usually done during the wedding ceremony, but the wedding is always in the traditional home of the family you are marrying into," Yoruichi said. "Bringing a human to the Seireitei would kill them if you don't have the right equipment, which would take a week to prepare."

"So why not just wait a week?" he asked.

"Do you really want to wait a week every time you travel to and from this world? Besides, it wouldn't do a thing about the aging problem," she pointed out. "You already look a decade older than me. I don't want for there to seem to be an even larger age gap."

He grimaced. He didn't want to be accused of being a cradle robber. Of course, couldn't she be called one as well…?

"Fine, fine, I'll do it," he grumbled.

Daiki sighed and nodded before drawing a crescent moon in front of him. "Let us begin, then. Kneel before me, Sirius Black."

He did so, a bit disturbed to see all three Shihoins' eyes start glowing, as did the moon drawn on the floor.

"To whom will he be bound to?" he asked.

"I will." Yoruichi stepped forward as lines started branching out from the moon and drawing themselves on the floor, forming a bizarre design full of stars, squares, and rectangles.

"Do you accept this, Sirius Black?" he asked.

"Uh… I think so…" They should make instructions for these kinds of things…

"Stand before him, Shihoin Yoruichi." She silently moved in front of him, standing on the moon. "Place your hand onto his head." She did, resting her hand on his black, wavy mop. "Now push your reiatsu into him."

Her hand started glowing white as Sirius felt some sort of warm sensation enter his body.

It felt like someone was taking something inside of him and mixing it with something else, like mixing potion ingredients together or mushing red and blue play dough to gradually make it purple. Some kind of energy within him seemed to reach up and swirl with the white light. When the energies were completely dissolved into each other, it stopped.

"Congratulations, Sirius-kun," he heard the (much) elder man say. "You have taken the first step to being a member of the Shihoin family."

Sirius slowly stood up. That was probably the weirdest thing that had ever happened to him. "Bloody hell… this is gonna be insane."

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><p>Yeah. I really can't resist putting in elements of "Shinigami at Hogwarts". I have no idea how I managed to pull myself into this pairing.<p>

So, seriously, Liana or Yoruichi/Sirius?


	25. Pressing Engagements

I do not own anything

I know that there was _something_ I wanted to say... but I can't remember...

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><p>Byakuya glanced up as he felt the Black lord's reiatsu morph, a sign that Yoruichi had, after years of worrying, finally twisted things into engagement with a certain blue eyed animagus. Still, it had only been a half hour since the dancing…<p>

"Just as impatient as ever," he muttered before searching for the elder Malfoys. It was about time they finalized the arrangement they had been deliberating for the past two years.

He found them by the refreshments table, chatting with Gawain Robarbs, third highest in command in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. "Pardon me, Lord and Lady Malfoy, may I see you and your son in private? There is something I would like to discuss." He then added as an afterthought, "I apologize for the intrusion, Mr. Robarbs, but this is a matter of significant importance."

Lucius looked mildly curious at why the propriety-driven man had suddenly halted a conversation with an official in the Ministry of Magic. "Of course, Lord Kuchiki. Draco is with your daughter, I think."

He nodded. "I would like her there as well."

He smiled slightly, realizing why he wanted to speak with them. "Let's go get them, then. Shall we?"

Fetching the children, he told them he wanted to see them privately and had them lead them to the Room of Requirement. Liana was a bit startled at the sudden request, but obliged. Draco smirked as, like his father, the pieces fell together in his mind. He watched the black haired man gain entry to the room. Only Kuchiki Byakuya could pace in front of a random stretch of wall and not look stupid.

"Now that there are no eavesdroppers, perhaps we can discuss some of the more intimate… things about the relationship the two of you share?" He had an amused glint in his eyes.

"W-what?" Liana blinked, blushing furiously. "Why are we talking about that?"

"Lucius and I have yet to find a suitable wife for Draco," Narcissa smiled. "Besides, the two of you are graduating next year, this conversation is long overdue."

"Suitable…? An arranged marriage?" She frowned, blushing. She didn't like the idea of being forced to marry.

Byakuya gave a hint of a smile. "It isn't arranged if the two of you agree to it. I have been discussing this with Lord and Lady Malfoy for quite a while now. In any case, you should have expected something like this would happen, Liana. I was under the impression the muggle nobility married for political benefits as well."

"Well, it's not like I ever really learned that," she defended. "The Dursleys didn't like it when I got better grades than Dudley!"

"… I see," he frowned. "Speaking of the fools, where are they? I haven't heard anything about them in quite a while."

"They're in the Hospital Wing," Draco shrugged. "One of the seventh year Gryffindors pushed them into a Vanishing Cabinet that was pretty much broken. We found them last month stuck on the rafters in the Astronomy Tower. They're traumatized or something so Professor McGonagall decided to put them in the Hospital Wing. They haven't really done anything since and Madam Pomfrey says it's unlikely that they'll ever be the same."

The captain decided to put the thought out of his mind. "Well, in any case, the fact remains that both the Kuchiki and Malfoy families are looking for spouses for their heirs. The two of you are of the same age and already know each other, it only makes sense."

"But isn't sixteen too early to be looking for a husband or whatever?" she asked. "Besides, that's what dating's for!"

"Ah, but can you honestly tell me the activities the two of you have been attending together over the past year doesn't fall into that category?" he questioned. "I'm certain Master Malfoy was aware that by accompanying you to those events your professor hosted and escorting you back afterward, he was courting you. I told you that I would not mind if you were seeing him, Liana. Did you believe I would say something like that so carelessly?"

"I forgot about that," she mumbled, turning redder.

"We have been searching for a wife for Draco for years now," Narcissa said, smiling gently. "We're always looking though the respectable families of the Wizarding World. The only problem is, he always refuses the girls we go to him with."

"Rukia has gone through every eligible nobleman in the Seireitei at least once every decade, ever since she was adopted," her father said. "However, she always claims they are too boring or something of the sort. Because the two of you are so similar in personality, I assumed you would think the same about them."

"So… you decide to try and get us to hook up?" Like a twisted game of matchmaker.

"The Malfoy and Kuchiki families are both extremely high standing families in their resepctive society," he said firmly. "As the two of you are the only heir to the families, you are the only way our family lines may continue. As such, tradition dictates it is your obligation to your family to wed and produce children." He gave the slightest smirk as his daughter started gagging and sputtering. "Of course, the fact that you are the heir of the Potter and Black families only magnifies that fact."

"I have to get married because of stupid tradition?" she asked unhappily.

"No. Despite the fact that marriage is an important part of tradition, I do not see the merit in marrying for such something as common as a child when one can easily be adopted," he said simply. "Despite that a child by blood is most preferred by the family, I only ask that you be happy. As far as I am concerned, the fact that it happens to bring more power to the family is merely a side-effect." He smiled faintly. "Quite honestly, marrying your mother was probably the best thing that has ever happened to my life. She gave me not only contentment and a wife, but a sister and daughter as well."

"The continuation of lineage is very important for a high standing family," Lucius said. "Normally, children in the Wizarding World are taught from a young age that they are expected to marry well and provide an heir once they are of suitable age. Draco has accepted this a long time ago." The younger blond nodded, as if verifying this.

"Unfortunately, despite the fact they probably want you disowned, the Kuchiki Family Elders will acknowledge the fact you are of Kuchiki blood, and if you do not agree to wed Master Malfoy, they will choose someone for you and pressure you to marry," her father said, a hint of bitterness in his voice. "Frankly, it is very hard to accomplish anything with their constant pestering."

"So you're saying I don't have a choice," she said flatly.

"You do have a choice, but your options are extremely limited," he corrected. "And I would say this one is the most favorable."

"If I do agree – I'm not saying I'm doing it, I'm saying _if_ – can I change my mind later?" she asked.

"Engagements can easily be canceled, if not by the couple themselves, then by one of the families," he replied. "Afterward, divorce is possible, but very complicated and hard to achieve. It would probably be easier to arrange for an assassination…" He sighed, "I have suspected very many times that the family Elders tried to assassinate Hisana, and they would have done so to Rukia as well, if she wasn't capable of avoiding them and revealing their plots."

Her nose scrunched up as she, once again, broke it down into simple terms. "So either I marry a guy and have a kid, or they murder me?"

He scoffed. "Hardly. I have yet to repay them for driving my wife to the World of the Living and keeping the knowledge of a child from me. They know very well that if there is any more nonsense on their part, I can easily arrange for a mass execution."

"I don't get it. Do I have to do it or not?" she grumbled frustratedly.

"No one is forcing you to do anything. This course of action is simply recommended." He couldn't help but be slightly amused. Yoruichi had always told him he was more like Kurosaki Ichigo than he liked to admit. Apparently that characteristic had been passed onto his daughter.

She scowled at the vague answer.

"Are you saying you don't like me, Liana?" Draco teased, taking advantage of the situation. "I thought we were friends."

"Oh, shut up." A pillow appeared in her hand and she chucked it at him.

"Seriously, though, why not? This way you can have a foot in both the Wizarding World and the… Soul Society, was it? It isn't possible for you to abandon the Kuchiki family, but, on top of being a Potter, an arrangement like this would make it easier for you to visit England."

She frowned, turning the idea over in her head and weighing the pros and cons. "Fine."

"Excellent." Her father had a knowing glint in his eyes before he started tracing a line into the floor. "I'm afraid that, if only to avoid undesirable side effects, it would be favorable to perform a ritual on Master Malfoy as soon as possible. It isn't anything dangerous at all, simply the first part of integrating someone into our family."

"Of course, Lord Kuchiki, I see no problem," Lucius smiled, happy to have finally found a fiancée for his son.

On one end of the line he drew a chevron (basically two sides of a triangle with the lines curved inward like a fancy, upside-down V) with a five petaled flower inside. "Liana, you will need to participate as well," he said. "Just do as I say and there shouldn't be any complications, both of you."

Both teens nodded. Byakuya drew on the reiatsu given to him by his father's family as his eyes started glowing a luminescent white. He could see his daughter's eyes were doing to same, as was the drawing on the floor.

"Kneel, Draco Malfoy." The blond did, too much in awe of the entire process to really process his actions. "To whom will this man be bound to?" Luckily, Liana had been studying rituals a little bit out of sheer boredom, so she had a faint idea of what to do.

"I will."

"Do you accept this, Draco Malfoy?"

"Yes, sir." He has accepted it a long time ago, back when he noticed how frequently they were visiting the Kuchiki English Residence.

"Stand before him, Kuchiki Liana," he directed. She smiled faintly at being referred to as Kuchiki and did as she was told. "Put your hand on top of his head and insert your reiatsu into his body." She closed her eyes and focused her power into her hand as she had when using kido.

Draco gasped slightly as his body suddenly warmed. This felt so strange, but so… nice.

The pleasant sensation ended all too quickly, as he soon found himself being helped back onto his feet, being told he had 'gotten all spacey'.

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><p>Bad ending, I know. But at the moment, I'm more concerned with the fact that Pottermore is open to the public <em>today<em>!


	26. Coming to Terms

I do not own anything

The second-to-last chapter! I'm so sad...

I know that, should I ever get around to finishing it, I'll post the sequel up, but I need to decide something: Should I publish it as a separate story or should I just add it onto here? I don't want to be the author who has 50% of the stories on the archive...

Anyway, the next chapter!

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><p>A single figure sat in an old, nicely worn chair, hunched over and staring intently at the tea in her hands. The muffled sounds of laughing shoppers rose from the floor, the only thing that could be heard in the room. She sighed, gently swirling the cold beverage in its cup, not caring as it nearly sloshed over the edge, almost staining the crimson robe she wore solely for the sake of fitting in on some vague level. Her thoughts were nearly audible as they bounced around her mind, crashing into each other and mixing in confusion.<p>

"What should I do now?" she sighed despondently, turning to stare out the window to the happy blue sky, a clear contrast to the semi-depressing room and the feelings it reflected. "My mission is complete and my family is fine. Liana is safe and probably joking around with her friends. The war is over and the Wizarding World knows my true allegiances. I've confessed to Sirius-san and I'm in top form again. I can't rejoin the Gotei or Onmitsukido when I have a fiancé to wed. Even so, if I were to go back into the ranks of the Gotei, it would mean that I would have to face him regularly, the man I let down as a young child. Running away isn't an option this time, I couldn't do that to my family again and I have too many ties here to cut off easily. My only other option is to try married life with Sirius-san. But how do live as the wife to the man you pretended to loathe for twenty-one years? A woman's place is in servitude to her husband, and a lady's purpose is to bring heirs to her family. I would never be able to do that with a man I can't get along with. So what do I do?" Her head dropped into her hands as a headache formed, pounding against her skull as she tried to focus.

Her troubles were interrupted as the door opened with a loud _creeaaaak! _"Hey, Yoruichi-san." She looked up as a the door opened to reveal a familiar blond man. A green and white striped hat shadowed his cheerful gray eyes as he stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him. Billowy garments of various shades of green floated behind him as he crossed the floor of the rented room, plopping into the chair opposite her, cane and all, and leaned forward to watch her with his arms on his knees.

"Kisuke… what are you doing here?" She raised an eyebrow at her longtime friend, leaning back in a more casual position as opposed to the pained one she was just in. The last time she had seen the man, he was sleeping in one of the back rooms of the Urahara Shoten, all the way back in Karakura Town, Japan. That had been approximately two years ago, so what was he doing all the way in the United Kingdom?

"Well, it turns out the Shoten just so happened to have business with a man in London, so I thought I might take the opportunity to see you," he grinned. She had to roll her eyes at his obvious lie. The Shoten had no business outside of Japan, and he only had a few business associates, most of whom he used to smuggle goods out of the Seireitei and to keep from getting in trouble with the human government.

She scoffed and hit him. "Yeah right. You just made that up!"

"Well, that _might_ not be the _exact _reason," he said mischievously before a more serious look settled into his eyes. She became more somber in response, knowing that he had correctly assumed her previous mood. "So tell me, what are you beating yourself up over this time, Yoruichi-san?"

"What I should do," she sighed, standing up and flopping onto the bed as she listened to the hustle and bustle of Diagon Alley and Charring Cross. "Riddle's dead, Byakuya and Liana-chan seem to be getting along well enough, Sirius-san knows about how I feel towards him – I'm _engaged_ to him, actually – and I really don't know what to do."

"Well, you can't take the easy way out this time," he mused. Having known her for six hundred plus years, he knew that, given the choice, she would flee from emotionally stressful situations rather than face them.

"Yeah. Everyone's always saying Onmitsukido's a bunch of cowards. I guess they're partially right," she chuckled bitterly.

"Hey, don't be like that, you'll just end up depressed again." He wagged a finger teasingly. "Anyway, we both know we have to face the past eventually; if we don't, it'll just come back and haunt us later on. I think the best bet is to just let the pieces fall where they may." He flashed back to when he had given Kuchiki Rukia a faulty gigai with his most powerful creation in it. A hundred years had passed since his last involvement in the Seireitei, and a mere three months later, it had fallen into the hands of the very man he wanted to keep it away from.

"I know." She looked out the window to the colorful wizarding street. "But I'm scared. You know how I am. I can't remember the last time I actually _faced_ my problems."

"You're already engaged to him, and your relationship's that of a polite stranger at best. You're gonna have to change that sooner or later. I don't really think it's possible to do anything but face them," he shrugged. "Look, you might as well. I know you're used to it, Yoruichi-san, but you've got to stop hiding sometimes. Look at what it's done to Kuchiki-taicho and his daughter!… well, I wouldn't really know about the second one, but still. Ever since he stopped hiding behind his mask, his personality's progressed through leaps and bounds! I know the thought of it's scary, and probably won't be easy, but you gotta work for anything of worth in life. That's just how it is."

"Yeah, you're right." She smiled softly at him, recalling how much her old friend's only son had changed in the past two years. "Thanks, Kisuke. Would you mind coming with me? To get Sirius-san? I really don't think I'm ready to do this on my own."

"Of course, Yoruichi-san," he grinned. "Where is the lucky fellow?" His customary fan slipped into his hand as he fluttered it just in front of his face, glancing playfully around the room, as if expecting him to pop out of nowhere.

"He's playing gobstones or something. At Grimmauld Place, I think." She chuckled absently, remembering the month long frenzy she had been told about in which Sirius Orion Black III, the head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, had tried (and failed) to find a new place of residence. The poor man wasn't able to find any other place in London to live!

"Well then, let's go!" He smiled and followed her downstairs and through the gaggle of patrons that were unfailingly hanging around the jovial pub.

She headed straight to the fireplace where an elderly man was gathering money and passing around floo powder. "Two please." She handed him a small handful of sickles as she scooped the pale green powder out of the pot. "Watch carefully, Kisuke," she said teasingly. He pouted. As if he would do anything but! She gently tossed the dusty grain into the fireplace, stepping into it as it turned bright green. "Number 12, Grimmauld Place!"

The shopkeeper watched in fascination as his long time friend vanished in a rush of fire. "I love magic," he muttered, gathering some powder for himself and copying her actions, disappearing in a swirl of emerald flames.

"Aagh!" Being completely knew to this form of transportation, he shot out of the fireplace, nearly falling had it not been for his swift reflexes. "That was amazing!"

"Yeah, I know," she grinned. "Isn't magic awesome?"

"Definitely, Yoruichi-san." He looked around, staring at the dusty room they were in. "Interesting choice of décor. Where are we?"

"I'm told this is the Black family's summer house, or something like that," she shrugged. "Sirius-san hates the place, so I think I'll do a bit of redecorating after… well… you know."

He gave her a comforting smile, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be fine, Yoruichi-san. You just need to be brave."

She snorted. "Yes, well, Gryffindor is the house of the brave, is it not?"

"Whatever you say, Yoruichi-san. Let's find this Sirius fellow." After a bit of wandering, they found the last of the male Black line in the drawing room, talking to, of all people, Byakuya Kuchiki.

"Hello, Kuchiki-taicho," Urahara said cheerfully, tipping his hat slightly forward. "It's been a while, hasn't it? And I take it this is Sirius Black-kun." He eyed the blue eyed wizard, taking in the husband-to-be of the woman he considered a sister. "It's nice to meet you."

"Urahara Kisuke." The nobleman inclined his head in brief acknowledgment, shoving aside the pinprick of animosity towards the green garbed man. "What are you doing in England?"

"Mah, I just decided I wanted to see Yoruichi-san," he said airily. "I mean, she's been gone for a couple of years now. A guy can't help but miss his best friend." Sniffing dramatically, he wiped away a few fake tears, burying his face into his sleeve.

"You survived a century without me, Kisuke," said best friend said dryly. "I think a couple of years really isn't much." And it wasn't like she hadn't been sending him letters every week.

"You wound me, Yoruichi-san," he said comically, clutching his heart with one hand and throwing the other onto his forehead.

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes. "Sirius-san, you remember the man I told you about, right? This is Kisuke Urahara, the one I stayed with after my father freaked out." She waved lazily towards him, ignoring his sulking over her casual dismissal of his antics.

"Er, right, nice to meet you," he offered, feeling a bit awkward. Here was a man that was Merlin knew how many years older than him, best friends with his fiancée, standing in his drawing room. He had also heard he was a mad scientist who had enough power to level a forest in one go. Scary.

"Yoruichi-san wanted to say something, to both of you, I think," he said, now that introductions were out of the way. He stepped back slightly and pushed his friend forward. The purple haired woman gave him an evil glare. She had agreed to do this, yes, but did he have to be so straightforward about it? He simply gave her a cheesy smile and she sighed, giving it up as a lost cause.

"I'm sorry," she said bluntly. "For everything. I shouldn't have been such an idiot all those years ago. I know you probably didn't mean what you said, Sirius-san." She closed her eyes, memories of a lifeless corpse with blank eyes smashing their way to the front of her mind. "Also, I'm sorry for being so stupid that day, and for not helping Sojun when he was against that hollow." Her fists clenched. The thing she regretted most in the world was not being there when her senpai had drawn his last breath.

Oblivious to her flashback, the Kuchiki lord raised an eyebrow. "You really are too similar to my sister, Yoruichi, the way you blame yourself for something that couldn't be avoided." He found that similarity to be a bit disturbing. How could the humble, serious Kuchiki Rukia have anything in common with the loud, playful Shihoin Yoruichi?

"What do you mean by that?" Was he mocking her?

"Are you so blinded by your guilt that you cannot see what happened that day?" he asked. "There were other men with my father the day he died, men who watched while he was fighting that hollow. But they did not help him, no matter how much it was within their ability to do so. You and I were both kohais of Ukitake-taicho at one point, you should know his philosophy about there being two types of battles. They say that the hollow was degrading myself and my mother, and slandering the Kuchiki family name. It was a matter of honor when he died. Whether or not you had been there doesn't make any difference. Father would not have let you help him, and the end result would not have changed."

His words hit her like a speeding train. _"There is the battle to save one's life, and there is the battle to save one's honor." _Nobility were taught that the honor of one's family was the most important think they bore, and she knew for a fact that the Kuchikis had yet to stray from the tradition. She knew that, had it been her family's reputation that had been put down, she would have been furious and tore into the enemy with little thought. So what would Sojun had done? Furthermore, if both his beloved wife and cherished son had been insulted on top of it, Sojun would never have… "Thank you," she smiled slightly, feeling drained and finally understanding why her best friend had died that day. "That… for some reason, is a relief to hear."

"You don't need to apologize to me," Sirius scratched his neck. "Moony already yelled at me for it. I know I was a git. Don't worry about it. It's sorta my fault it happened anyway." He shrugged, smiling sheepishly at both noble shinigami.

"Now that that's over with… Kuchiki-taicho! You look well," Kisuke grinned as he scrutinized the young lord. He blinked, seemingly remembering something as he ignored the distasteful glance sent his way. "Ne, Yoruichi-san, why don't you go for a walk or something? I mean, you're gonna be moving soon, right? You should enjoy London while you can."

She rolled her eyes. What was he playing at? "Of course, Master, I will do whatever it is that you deem best for such a lowly being as myself," she said sarcastically, but left the room anyway, eager to try to gain some peace of mind. After all this…

"If you wouldn't mind," the blond man's personality took a one-eighty as his eyes were lost in shadow, "I'd like to tell you both something, Kuchiki-taicho, Black-san."

"Shoot," Sirius yawned, completely oblivious to his serious tone.

"As you probably know by now, Yoruichi-san didn't have the best childhood, or adulthood for that matter. Those of us who played with her – that being me, Kaien-kun, Isshin-kun, and Sojun-senpai – all knew about it. We were… her healers, you could say." He adopted a sad smile as he recalled years past. "Sojun-senpai was always the one to comfort her – mostly because none of the rest of us were any good with crying girls back then – and we were the ones to take her mind off of it and show her the best parts of life.

"What you know of Yoruichi-san is probably an act. She isn't as strong as she seems she is, that's just a part of the training she got when she was younger. Yoruichi-san is actually very insecure, just like most abused children. She was never quite the same since Sojun-senpai died. He was the only one she completely opened up around, actually. He was the only one who could ever get her to just let it all out." He blew some of his hair out of his face as he remembered all those years ago.

"Ever since he died, we've worried about her, because she was just letting it all build up. Kuchiki-taicho, I thought you would like to know, considering your opinions on her are a bit harsh – they're probably eating her up inside, really. Black-san, I'm telling you because you are going to be her husband." His expression was completely serious now. "I care for Yoruichi-san like a sister. I don't want her getting any more hurt than she already is. She acts strong now, but she'll break eventually. If you're going to be her husband, then you will be the one to comfort her."

"It seems that brother of hers affected her a great deal," the Kuchiki head frowned. "I will reevaluate what I know of her, but if you are asking me to try to get along with her for an extended amount of time, I am afraid that will be impossible, Urahara Kisuke."

He smiled, regaining his normal goofy demeanor. "Nah. I just wanted you to know that the baka neko is really screwed up inside."

Sirius simply stared at the coffee table. "Well, I'll try my best, mate, but I really can't promise anything. I don't really know what I think of her, at this point."

"That's all I ask," he nodded. "Also, if you think something's wrong, then something is probably very, very wrong, no matter how much she denies it."

"Thanks." Married life promised to be very, very complicated.

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><p>If you guys have any suggestions for what I should include in the sequel, feel free to tell me!<p> 


	27. Moving on to a New Life

I do not own anything

So... the Military Ball's today and I just spent an hour wandering through the mall and looking for a bra... and it's my stepsister's birthday! Bon anniversaire à ma belle-soeur incroyable!

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><p>"So we're gonna live in Karakura Town, right?" Sirius asked.<p>

"Yeah. I managed to get a pre-furnished house there," Yoruichi replied, trailing her finger on the spine of a book. "I figure you want to get away from the this place, and I'd go crazy without seeing Kisuke or Isshin."

"Sure, sounds like fun. I always wanted to go abroad," he grinned.

"What about the wedding, though?"

"The what?" Damn. He had completely forgotten about that.

She sighed exasperatedly. "We're engaged. There's got to be a wedding at some point. Mother and Father have already started setting it up. They want us to get fitted for the outfits and pick out a date. Apparently, we're going to be husband and wife somewhere withing the next year."

"I hate party planning," he mumbled. "How about August 10th? It's Tonks' birthday."

She chuckled. "You really are willing to do anything to anger your mother, aren't you?"

"Yeah," he grinned at the thought. "I'd love to see dear old Mum's reaction to me getting married on my half-blood cousin's birthday."

"I'll tell Mother and Father later. I think they'll probably let you call them their first names, in private anyway. Probably stick with formalities in public or something," she mused. "Is the wedding gonna be English, Japanese, or some sort of combo?"

"Uh… I don't care. You can choose," he shrugged.

"Hmm… that means Mother and Father are going to make us have two – a Japanese wedding, and an English one. That's gonna be a tough one. I think I'll go see what Liana-chan's up to." She stood up and smiled at Sirius before bouncing out of the room.

He leaned back against the chair he was in, "Maybe this won't be so bad…"

~oOo~

The seeds must be planted early, if they are ever to bloom.

I've done everything I possibly can for her. I just hope it will be enough for your forgiveness, Sojun…

Firstly, I'd like to thank everyone who has ever read, reviewed, and/or added Liana Kuchiki to their favorites. I really can't believe that such a random idea I had would ever get such a response! Thank you for supporting this story, I can't tell you all how much it means to me that so many people enjoy it. To be honest, once we pass the 168 mark, this fic will have more reviews than my second-favorite fic, Shinigami at Hogwarts (granted, it's not so much of a fic as it is a collection of drabbles that I have absolutely no idea what to do with) in a bit over half the number of chapters! Also, to those of you who actually live in the British Isles, thank you for putting up with my attempt at writing British English (I live in the Lone Star state, y'all!)

I have recently been obsessing over yet _another_ fic. It's called Caledonia Lilia Snape by Yashodoa. While it could use a bit of help in the grammar department, it is everything I dreamed for Liana to be. I would seriously recommend it to those of you out there who are actually bothering to read this.

As far as the sequel goes, I'm still trying to work out a plot for it (yes, still) and I honestly don't know if I'll ever even finish it! Keep your fingers crossed everyone!

The next few fragments are some deleted scenes that were in the portion of Liana that I had handwritten at school but decided wouldn't be beneficial to the plot. I hope you enjoy!

**CHAPTER**

Enter, Sirius!

Yoruichi's eyes flashed dangerously, but she relented, slumping into a chair and stroking a cat that formed in her arms.

"What?" she snapped at Byakuya's surprised expression. "You're obviously not going to let me leave. I want some kind of comfort."

"I have a cat too," Hermione said with a hesitant smile, trying to break the tension that bore down on everyone in the room. "His name is Crookshanks. Ron doesn't really like him."

"I don't really like telling people this one's real name." The purple haired woman relaxed, scratching the feling between its ears. "But I call her Neko-chan."

"Japanese?" she asked interestedly.

"Yes. Byakuya," she pointed at where the man was conversing with Dumbledore, Mad-Eye and Remus, "and I are Japanese. Liana is too, it's just a few of the features her mother passed on to her gives her an English appearance."

"You knew her mother?" she asked.

"No." She shook her head. "All I know about Hisana is that she asked Byakuya to save her sister from poverty by taking her as his sister. It was probably a huge scandal, though, when they married. Probably something like when Andromeda Black married Ted Tonks."

"They had a daughter you know," the muggleborn said before whispering, "Nymphadora, but she goes by her surname. I think Remus fancies her."

"Remus, huh?" She gave a sad smile. "I'm not as upset with him as I am Black. He couldn't have stopped the argument we had – it's not in his nature."

"Sirius has a temper, not to mention how impulsive he is. I'm sure he didn't mean it," she said softly.

The older woman sighed. "Probably not. It's just… after years of anger… it's hard to let go. I suppose I should work on that. Ne, Neko-chan?"

"[I don't think you would succeed at it without serious effort, Mistress,]" the cat yawned.

This caused everyone but the two shinigami to stare at the cat. Normally, not even magical felines were capable of human speech patterns.

"Bloody hell, the cat talked!" Ron finally exclaimed.

Yoruichi snorted. "What, you've never seen a talking cat before?" she scoffed. "I could be a talking cat, you know."

"You are," Byakuya said dryly.

She smirked. "And I love every moment of it. No one expects a cat to talk. And then no one expects a talking cat – with a male voice, I might add – to turn out to be a beautiful woman."

"Don't me so vain. You may end up like Ayesegawa-goseki," he chided, knowing it was useless. "Frankly, I'm not sure if they're surprised by you true gender or species, or by your lack of clothing."

She grinned at him mischievously. "You should know. I remember your reaction plain as day, Byakuya-bo."

"You are very fortunate your father didn't walk in at that moment."

"Prude."

The Dragon and the Phoenix

"Ah, it seems Lady Shihoin has wrongfully interpreted my intentions," Dumbledore said from where Liana was still trying to heal him.

"You sure look silly saying that, old man," she snorted.

"Do not speak without permission, Shihoin. Crucio!"

She dropped to the floor, screaming. Only her kohai noticed it didn't seem genuine, and then only just.

"M-my deepest apologies, my Lord," she gasped. Even her reiatsu seemed to be in pain.

"Do not disappoint me again, Shihoin."

"Y-yes, my Lord."

"Resume your duel."

"Yes, my Lord." She stood up, somewhat shakily, before regaining her footing. "I'm afraid I'll have to speed things up a bit."

The Dursleys at Hogwarts

"Mr. Malfoy, that's enough!" McGonagall snapped. "Mr. Dursley, please sit down."

The blond glowered but obeyed, as did the muggle after she sent him a severe look.

"Liana?" Hermione asked. "It's okay now, calm down."

"Yeah," Ron added. "McGonagall stopped him. C'mon, mate, you're the best seeker we've had in ages! How're we gonna win the Quidditch Cup without you?"

Hermione stared him him incredulously. "Really, Ronald? She's gone into shock and you're talking about Quidditch?"

"Hey," he defended. "Don't blame me! She plays like a pro!"

"Plays" was the only word out of their half-conversation that actually made it into her mind. "Let's… play… c'mon, Freak… let's play… tag."

"C'mon, Freak!" She whirled around to see Dudley and Piers, grinning wickedly. "Let's play tag! We're it. If we win, we get to beat you up!"

"Atta boy, Dudders," Uncle Vernon chortled.

The blond boy's grin grew wider. "C'mon, Freak, run! We'll give you a head minute head start."

"Tag," she mumbled, her voice managing to stop Ron and Hermione's chronic bickering. Her legs swung over the side of the bench before she sprinted out of the Great Hall.

"Liana!" Hermione called, running after her.

"Tag," Ron repeated as the two rushed out of the hall. "What the bloody hell does tag have to do with this?"

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><p>Again, thank you so much for your support of this fic! I hope to see all of you as soon as possible with the sequel to Liana Kuchiki!<p> 


	28. Sneak Peek: Hiroto Shihoin

I do not own anything

**IMPORTANT BACKGROUND INFO: **Bonus chapter! This is the first part of one of the sequels to Liana Kuchiki. I don't think I'll publish it (at least not before doing some serious editing).

Anyway, Happy Birthday, Harry Potter!

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><p><em>For years, he wandered in the Black abyss,<br>Trying to find where he belonged.  
>Lost in the legacy of his family,<br>Lost in the heart of the Night.  
>He was cast out of the Black and heart,<br>When his true place was within.  
>He then found his place.<br>The leader of the Black.  
>The center of the heart.<br>The beau of the Night.  
>The Night One and Orion's Star will come together.<br>With their bond will come a child.  
>The Great Bear<em>

"The translation charm will wear off as you learn more Japanese," Yoruichi said as she opened the door to their new, fully-furnished home in Karakura, Japan.

"Good. Let's get Hiroto to bed," Sirius said as he carried the whining child inside.

The two spent the next fifteen minutes exploring their new home. Eventually, they ended up simply relaxing in the living room.

"The gigais should make both Hiroto-chan and me age as humans," Yoruichi said. "Hiroto-chan's soul will age just like his gigai until his first trip to the Soul Society – hopefully a long time from now – but ours will age just like always."

"So we're gonna raise him as muggles, then?" he chuckled. "Sounds fun. If only my dear mother could see me now."

"Oh, I just wish I didn't have to go so long without seeing the others again," she sighed. "Anyway, I got Kisuke to babysit tomorrow while we go shopping. He promised not to do anything weird."

"Then I'm gonna go take a nap. Getting used to a new lifestyle takes a lot out of a guy."

~oOo~

Kuro Hiroto could easily say that his sixteen years of life had been completely normal, except for one thing.

He could see ghosts.

He didn't quite understand this ability, nor did he understand why he had it. To his knowledge, neither of his parents could see ghosts, and what was the good in watching those poor souls be consumed by monsters? Unfortunately, he couldn't find a way to rid himself of his gift, and had learned to just ignore it.

Now, he couldn't afford to ignore it, and was running as fast as he could from one of those monsters, except this one was the size of a skyscraper. He had to get away, or he would be a ghost himself soon.

He didn't really know what he was doing anymore. One second, he was running for his life, the next, he was recklessly turning around, having heard a sound that certainly didn't belong in this situation. The sound of a tired and exasperated sigh.

He saw a girl only a few years older than him, her midnight black hair tied back with a bright green ribbon that matched her eyes. She had pale skin and a heart shaped face. What she was wearing was very strange (because of her gender if nothing else). She was wearing a black kosode and hakama with a white shitagi and obi, as well as white tabi and waraji (For those who don't understand: 'a black top and pants with a white undershirt and belt, as well as white socks and sandals'). Hanging from her waist was a sheathed sword.

She pulled the blade out and slashed at the monster's face, causing it to disintegrate.

"What the...? Hey wait!" he shouted at her. Either she didn't hear him, or was ignoring him, as she didn't respond, instead disappearing in a strange flicker.

~oOo~

By that night, he had completely forgotten about the incident... well, until he heard a howl outside.

"I'm going out!" he shouted, running out the door in hopes of drawing the beast away from his parents, who were still vulnerable to attack.

"But your dinner!" his mother called after him. She was completely oblivious of the monster not ten feet from her, thus she had now idea that any threat was there. Or at least, not until she was thrown, unconscious, into the wall.

"Mom!" His thoughts of luring it away disappeared as his father was soon caught in a similar situation. "Get away from them, you freak!" He picked up a nearby staff – for some reason his dad was obsessed with Merlin and collected tons of memorabilia – and ran at it.

"No!" Suddenly, there was a girl only a few years older than him, in front of him her midnight black hair tied back with a green ribbon that matched in her eyes.

"Bloody... idiot." She gritted her teeth. "How could you think you were a match for one of those?"

"Huh? What's going on? Who are you?" He really had no idea what was happening.

The girl pushed the monster away. Its large form and the small amount of room made the beast clumsy as she leaned against what remained of the house's wall. "I don't have enough time to explain," she said, panting, "but the only way... to save them is for... me to transfer my powers into you... will you let me do it?"

"What? Of course! I can't just let my parents die!" he exclaimed. "How can I save them?"

"I have to drive my sword... through your heart... and then, you must slice through that thing's mask," she gasped. "Will you do it?"

"Of course!" He had been raised to always do the right thing, even if it meant becoming a martyr.

She shoved the sword into his chest, feeling the last of her strength disappear. The last thing she saw was a figure with purple hair, dark skin, and golden eyes.

"Yoru... ichi?"

"_I want you to remember the witch you see now."_


	29. Notice and Another Sneak Peek

I suppose I should tell you all that the sequel to Liana Kuchiki - _"Yuri Potter" - _is published.

I suppose I should also tell you that I'm currently going through and editing Liana Kuchiki (in other words: I've realized this isn't very good so I'm going to do something about it before it gets to the point where I can't stand looking at it), though I won't be able to do much until I get my laptop back. I've already gotten through several of the chaptesr so far. I'm probably going to end up combining a lot of the chapters on account of being too short or not having enough plot importance.

Since these types of "chapters" technically aren't allowed, I'll have to add something fictional... Excuse me while I go carefully look for a portion of my stashed work to publish...

Sneak peek! I don't know when this will be published on Yuri Potter, but it will happen. Eventually. This is a part of a speech that Byakuya gives - the most memorable part, in my opinion.

I do not own anything

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><p>"The Goteijuusantai is not your standard rank-and-file military organization. We are comprised of men, women, and in some cases, children, from all walks of life with varying interests and concerns. The average shinigami is, in most cases, someone who wished to protect their friends and loved ones from the forces that we battle on a daily basis. The higher-ranked of the shinigami are typically outcasts with vastly different personalities who joined in the hopes of a life where they are not discriminated against for their power or appearance."<p>

"We are, fundamentally, not human beings. We are souls, spirits, the mind and will of a person who has been separated from their living body. It does not mean that we do not feel. We live, we breathe, we laugh and cry. We feel emotions just as strongly as any one of you, perhaps stronger. Please do not think of us as angels. We are not. Do not think of us as demons. We are not. We are men and women who have seen atrocious things in our lives and still go on with life. We are people who would stake our lives in number for just a single man who can still claim life in this world. Our way of life, our very existence is being threatened, and we can do little about it. The Chinese wish to force their ways on us, and we desperately need aid and salvation. I ask you not as a captain, nor as the head of a family. I ask you as a humble man, please help us."

He took a step back from the podium and bowed. Liana vaguely realized that it was the first time she had seen her father bow. There had been nods of acknowledgement in the past, a polite or respectful tone that slipped into his voice but was so hard to catch if one wasn't looking for it, but a bow? It wasn't a deep one, roughly a forty-five degree angle and certainly not as sharp as the ones she'd seen the shinigami give him when he walked by, but it was there. A physical acknowledgement that he, a man who had such pride and held himself well at the top of the social ladder, was desperate and dependent on those before him for survival. Cameras flashed, immortalizing the moment before he straightened back up. The President stood and walked up to him. There were handshakes and nods and even more cameras went off as hushed words were exchanged before the head of the American executive branch spoke.

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><p>I am very, very proud of that speech. I hope you all enjoy my new fic!<p> 


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